I Wished For This
by MrsHalsteadxx
Summary: Jay Halstead and Brooke Davis come from two different worlds, but fall in love instantly. How will they handle life 900 miles apart? When tragedy rocks Jay's world, how will Brooke be there for him? Can she save him? (Cross over fic. Features characters from PD and OTH)
1. Prolouge

**! PLEASE READ!** Hey guys! I know I just kind of disappeared and took my stories with me a while back. I had a lot of personal and family issues going on and I took some time to myself to deal with those. Things are still a bit rocky with my grandpa, and have been for quite some time. Honestly, I'm not sure if things with him will ever be the same. That's a one day at a time kind of thing. However, other issues in my life seem to be picking up! I've got a new job as of a few hours ago, and this morning my precious baby niece is finally here! I'm so in love with her, and you all best believe my ass will be there to love her and spoil her as soon as I get off work tomorrow!

But enough of me, as I said above, I know I just kind of disappeared off the face of the planet. I can't thank you all enough for the messages and kind words I received after leaving. I logged on the other day and all the messages seriously made me cry. You all rock. I hope I haven't burned any bridges, but I would really like to upload all my old fics, as well as a new Linstead fic I am thinking on. And if you guys are interested, I would love to continue with I Wished for this… Brooke and Jay still had quite a journey to go on so it's all up to you guys! I will start with posting this prologue and the chapters I already had done once more (with a few subtle changes – not much. Lexi (Jay's daughter) will now be known as Bria, short for Briana.) and you guys let me know where I can go from there. I'm going to go off your guys' thoughts and wishes.

I'll shut up now, I'm going to go channel my new found excitement into some writing for you guys! Please let me know what you all think! Xoxo

* * *

 **Chicago**

"Halstead." Jay sits the coffee pot back on the burner and turns from his conversation with Ruzek, to his partner Antonio who was standing in the door. "Voight wants to speak to us." Jay nods his head and Antonio turns to walk away.

"What did you do now man?" Ruzek asks, chuckling when he gets the side eye from Jay. Jay makes his way out of the break room, sits his mug on his desk and then makes his way into Voight's office. Antonio was already sitting in front of Voight's desk and Jay takes the empty seat next to him.

"What's going on?" Antonio asks, confused. "Did we get something else?" He asks, referring to any clues to the case the unit was currently working on.

Voight hands them both a file before leaning back in his chair. He runs a hand over his face in frustration. "No, this son of a bitch has caught wind that we're on to him. It's been four days since we've gotten anything and I just got off the phone with Sergent Benson in New York. They caught a similar crime scene and victim this morning."

"And how do we know they're connected, sir?" Jay asks, glancing up from his file. Antonio was busy flipping through his own file, but Jay knew he was listening.

"We don't, but it's a pretty good shot it all is connected somehow. Since you two are spear heading this case, I'm sending you both to New York with the information. Let them in on all the details and maybe between your Intel and theirs, we can take this guy down for good."

Jay nod and Antonio closes his file, looking back up to his boss, waiting for instructions. "When do we leave? I'll have to get with Nadia about Bria." Jay asks, and Voight nods understandingly.

Voight knew it would be a big concern to Jay, leaving his daughter behind, and he understood completely. When Halstead had first joined the unit, he was skeptical about him. The kid had a smart ass mouth, and he often questioned Voight's motives, but he had seen him grow as a person and as a father over the last three years.

Jay had been through so much, and Voight had nothing but the utmost respect for the young detective. The day of Allie's funeral, Voight had made a promise to himself. He vowed that he would do anything to make sure that Bria had her father home with her at night, safe and sound. The child had been through enough in her three years of life.

"I understand Halstead, and that's why you're booked for a flight tomorrow morning." Jay nods, letting out a sigh of relief. "I know you hate leaving her, and you know I hate asking you to –"

Jay shakes his head. "No, I know that, and I understand completely. Tony and I have put so much time and work into this case and I **want** to be there to take this asshole down. Bria will be fine with Nadia for a few days, I just need to go call her." He pauses and smirks. "She's going to be so excited, she likes Nadia better than me as it is."

This causes Antonio and Voight both to laugh. "Alright, go make your call and you two take the rest of the day to get everything ready for your trip. See me before you leave." And with that, he turns back to another open file on his desk, dismissing them.

* * *

 **Tree Hill**

"Brooke," Millie brings her hand up to cover the phone that was still glued to her ear. "There is a phone call for you."

Brooke doesn't bother to look up from the mannequin that she was currently working on dressing. "Take a message, I'm busy."

Millie sighs. "Brooke, its Victoria. She says it is urgent and can't wait."

Brooke rolls her eyes, setting the skirt she was working with on the chair and walking across the boutique. She doesn't say anything but holds her hand out, slightly annoyed. She brings the phone back up to her ear. "What mother?" She stays silent as she listens to Victoria bark out orders from the opposite side of the line.

"What?" She shrieks, causing Millie's head to fly up in panic from what she had been working on at the counter. "Victoria, no! The meeting was next week! I'm not done yet!" Once again, she's silent as Victoria continues. Millie raises an eyebrow at her, trying to get her to tell her what's going on, but Brooke doesn't budge. "Yeah, whatever. I'll figure something out. I'll see you then." And with that, she hangs up, slamming the phone on the counter.

"What's going on?" Millie finally asks, after realizing that Brooke wasn't going to offer it up on her own.

Brooke turns her attention back to the mannequin slipping the skirt on and positing it just right before glancing back at Millie. "Oh you know, Victoria is just trying to screw everything up once again. My big meeting with Macy's next week to show them my new line?" Millie nods as a way for Brooke to know she was following her and Brooke begins to pick up the stray clothes she hadn't used. "Well she moved it up to the day after tomorrow and my designs aren't done." By now, she had made her way back to the counter and she lays the clothes down, Millie taking them to put away. "So, I'm going home to cram and try to get my sketches done… you get us a flight for tomorrow ok?"

Millie nods, handing Brooke her purse and jacket.

Brooke slips her jacket on, and slips her purse over her shoulder. "Thanks Millie, you're the best." She says shooting her assistant a wink before turning and walking out the door.

* * *

 **New York**

"Yes Victoria," Brooke replies hastily as she rolls her eyes. She was currently in line, waiting to order her and Millie's coffee. Millie was waiting outside, guarding her sketches. "I'm on my way. I stopped for some coffee." She pauses, listening to Victoria. "I still have plenty of time before the meeting – no you know what? I will be there when I get there!" She quickly hangs up, not leaving Victoria any chance to argue back with her.

"Next" the young girl behind the counter calls and Brooke steps forward, placing their drink order. Within a few minutes she has both drinks in hand, paid for, and turns to make her way to the door. She was too busy staring at her phone, only looking up when she collides with something hard. The coffee cup instantly flies out of her hand and splashes her feet.

"Oh my god," She hears a male voice start, and she closes her eyes in frustration. This was deffently not what she needed at this moment. "I am so sorry, are you ok? That didn't burn you did it?"

She slowly opens her eyes and glances down at the ground. "No, no burns. Now I'm just going to have to deal with Victoria with no caffeine in my system." She mumbles the last part, but the stranger doesn't miss it.

"Let me get you a new one."

Finally, Brooke looks up and she was met with breath taking blue eyes. She couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she took in his appearance. Dark jeans, blue sweater, black leather jacket. She very subtly runs her eyes over him, taking in his built appearance and charming smile. This guy was gorgeous. "No, no it's ok." She mumbles, still mesmerized by him.

"Come on," He offers her a smile, and she swears her heart was going to beat out of her chest. He locks eyes with hers and she has to fight to control her breathing. "It is the least I could do."

She shakes her head, giggling slightly. "I appreciate it. I really do, but I'm already running late to my meeting."

His smile falters, and she can hear a small bit of disappointment in his voice as he speaks. This makes her smile even more. "Oh, ok. Well, let me take you out tonight to make up for it then."

She was smiling so wide now, it hurt her cheeks. She shakes her head slightly, ignoring Millie standing outside the shop, pointing to her watch and telling her they were really running late. She couldn't find it in her to care all of a sudden. "I don't know."

"Please?" He asks, studying her intently. "I swear that I'm not a serial killer or anything." He laughs, holding his hands up.

She laughs, once again as she debates it in her head. Her resolve was slipping and soon enough she sighs, giving in. "Ok, ok fine." She reaches out and hands him the unspilt coffee. He gives her a confused look but takes the coffee anyways as she reaches into her purse. Seconds later she pulls out a small card and she exchanges it for the coffee. He looks down at the card in his hand, smirking. "This is my card, it has my number. Call me later."

He glances back up at her and nods. "Oh you bet I will –"He trails off searching for her name, and she smiles.

"Brooke," She extends her hand.

"Brooke," He smiles as her name leaves her lips. He reaches out and shakes her hand. "I'm Jay."

Just then, Millie sticks her head inside the door. She hated to break up the moment, but had no choice. If they were late, Victoria would have **her** head on a stick, not Brooke's. "Brooke, we really have to go now!"

Brooke nods to her assistant and turns back to Jay, shooting him an apologetic smile. "Well, it was nice to meet you Jay. I guess I'll talk to you later." She sends him a quick wink, causing his heart to stop momentarily, before she walks around him and out the door. She hands Millie her iced coffee and the two make their way down the sidewalk.

"He was cute." Millie smirks, side eying Brooke. Brooke was busy trying to look busy, glancing down at her phone.

"Tell me about it." She says thinking back to just moments before. This Jay guy was beyond cute, and she felt like a school girl at just the thought of him. It had been a long time since she felt like this, and she had only known him for a few minutes.

Jay was too busy watching her walk away, a huge smile on his face, to notice that Antonio had made his way back over to him. He only snaps out of it when Antonio clears his throat, and hands him a coffee.

"Smooth."

"What?" Jay questions, turning to look at his partner and friend.

Antonio laughs, clapping him on the shoulder. "You've been in this city one day and you've already spilled coffee all over a pretty girl. How did you manage to not only swoon a girl, but convince her to marry you and have a kid with you? You're a total dork."

Jay rolls his eyes, laughing. "Hey, it got me the date with her didn't it?" He smirks, referring to Brooke.

"Yeah, I guess it did." Antonio says, shaking his head in disbelief. "One day in the city and you've already got a date." By now, he was mumbling, mostly to himself. "How is this fair?"

Jay just laughs as he turns and heads for the door. "Let's go Dawson, Benson is waiting for us."

With the help of the New York SVU team, Jay and Antonio had managed to track down their perp. They were both more than relieved to have wrapped up this case, after spending months working it. Since they had jurisdiction and had been running the case, the perp was being sent back to Chicago for booking and to receive his punishment. He was already in protective custody and en-route while Jay and Antonio were in the city until they could catch a flight out.

After their long day, both detectives were exhausted. Antonio had called it a night and headed back to the hotel to get some sleep while Jay sat in the same coffee shop he had met Brooke in earlier that morning. His phone sat on the table in front of him, next to the small business card. The two were mocking him as he tried to gather the courage to actually call Brooke.

His mind was still racing from meeting Brooke, and he had truly meant it when he had asked her out. He was excited at the possibility, having not been on a date in many years. His wife had only lost her battle to lung cancer a little over two years prior and he had never had the urge to go out and date since she had , he had focused on raising their daughter. She had been the only girl he needed in his life… until he had met her.

Now, he could barely contain his excitement as he dialed the number on the card she had given him. He brings the phone up to his ear as it rings, and he silently prays that she hadn't given him a bogus number.

The line only rang three times before she answers, and he can't wipe the smile off his face as he hears her voice. "Brooke?"

He can hear the smile in her voice. "Jay, I was starting to wonder if you would ever call."

He chuckles. "Yeah, I'm sorry. Work took a little longer than I anticipated"

Brooke giggles from the other side of the line and his heart skips a beat. He shakes his head, trying to calm himself down. He barely knew this girl and she was driving him crazy already. "Oh, I understand that completely."

He smiles. "But I'm still up for that date if you are."

"Only on one condition." She reasons with him, and he doesn't hesitate.

"Name it."

"Let's keep it simple, I hate over the top." Her answer causes his smile to grow. She was perfect.

"Oh, I think we can manage that."

* * *

Thirty minutes after they hung up, Jay stopped by to pick Brooke up for their date.

They then took a cab across the city and stopped for some pizza. After they ate, they walked hand in hand through the busy city talking, and getting to know each other better. They had only been out for a few hours, but they both felt like they had known each other for years.

Both were certain they hadn't laughed this hard in a long time.

The pair was now walking through Central Park, hand in hand. "Ok Jay," Brooke trails off, trying to come up with another question. The two had been asking questions back and forth, trying to get to know each other better. "Have you ever been married?" She asks, glancing up at him.

She watched him intently as he stared off ahead of them. He seemed to be debating something, and she tugs on his arm so that he turns around to face her. "Hey, you don't have to answer that, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have –"

He shakes his head instantly. "No, it's ok. I don't mind to tell you about it or talk about it, I'm just afraid it'll scare you off."

She reaches out, taking his hand in hers. "Jay, nothing is going to scare me off. If you want, you can tell me, if not, I understand."

He glances down at their hands and smiles, giving it a slight squeeze before glancing back up at her. "I was married – for two years. We weren't married long when she got pregnant. It seemed like the perfect timing and for a long time it was. But toward the end of her pregnancy, she got really sick. She refused to go the doctor, but I knew something was wrong with her. Well, after Bria was born, she got worse. I managed to talk her into going to the doctor and" He trails off, taking in a deep shaky breath. Brooke watches him closely, squeezing his hand, giving him the courage he needed to speak again. "We found out she had lung cancer, and it had already spread. She died four months later."

Brooke was at a loss for words. "Jay –"

He shakes his head, shutting her off. "No, its ok, I'm ok now. I loved Allie so much, but things happen for a reason right? If it hadn't been for her, I would have never had Bria in my life. That little girl IS my life. She's the reason I'm still here. It was hard after Allie died, but I pulled through every day for her… for my daughter. She's the reason I still have my sanity."

Brooke couldn't stop the smile that formed from hearing him talk about his daughter. "And how old is Bria?"

Jay's look of despair was now replaced with a smile. He was a proud dad, and it made Brooke's heart swell. "She's three, going on thirty."

Brooke couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, let's see pictures. I know you have pictures of her." Her smile grew when Jay chuckled, but reached for his phone none the less. He starts scrolling the phone before handing it to her. "Oh Jay, she's precious!" And she truly was. She was a carbon copy of Jay and Brooke couldn't contain the feeling she felt in her heart.

He chuckles, taking his phone from her and stuffing it back in his pocket. "Thank you."

Brooke smiles at him and reaches forward to wrap an arm around his waist. In return, he wraps his arm around her shoulder and they begin to walk again. "What about you Miss Davis? Have you been married or have any children?"

Brooke laughs again, shaking her head. "Oh god no. I came very close a few years ago, or so I thought. I was dating this guy Julian, and I was crazy about him. I wanted him to propose to me, but he never did. He got a job in Australia producing a movie, and never came back." She sighs slightly, glancing back up at him. She was smiling, but he could see the longing in her eyes. "And as for kids – no, I do not have any. I would love some, I love kids more than anything, but I've never met the right guy."

Jay nods his hand understandingly. "So, I told you what I do, but what about you? What do you do for a living?" He asks, changing the subject having seen the look in her eyes.

Brooke laughs, and they stop, sitting on a nearby bench. "I own a fashion company."

His eyes light up. "Wow, impressive." She rolls her eyes playfully at his tone. "Anything I've ever heard of?"

She bites her bottom lip, before mumbling. "Clothes over bros."

He chuckles at the name, before nodding his head. "Ahh, so you're **that** Brooke Davis." She nods her head, laughing as well. "My friend and daughter's nanny is constantly talking about how much she loves your clothes."

"Well she has good taste then." Brooke says, smirking.

"That she does." Jay chuckles, his eyes never moving from watching hers. Brooke glances back up at him, and they lock eyes. Before either knows what was going on, they had both leaned in and their lips were fused together. Jay doesn't hesitate to bring his hand to rest on her cheek, as she moves to deepens the kiss.

Much to her dismay, Brooke pulls back a moment later as she needs a second to catch her breath. Jay's hand still rested on her cheek and their faces were only mere inches from one another.

She glances from his eyes, down to his lips before glancing back up and locking eyes with him once more. "It's getting kind of cold; you wanna go back to my hotel?"

A small smirk slowly makes its way across Jay's lips as he reaches for her hand. "Let's go."

* * *

So what do you guys say? Should I post what I have done and then start new chapters for this story? Also keep in mind I will be posting my Linstead fics as well! Let me know what I should do!


	2. Chapter One

**Chicago**

It had been a long exhausting week in the Intelligence unit, having taken on four different cases. Sure, they had solved and wrapped each pretty quickly, but that didn't mean it hadn't taken its toll on Jay. After putting in 14+ hours the last four days, and then coming home to his very energetic four year old, Jay was more than ready for his weekend. He just had to make it through one last day and then he could spend the next three days being lazy with his daughter.

When his alarm went off at six am on that Friday morning, Jay wanted nothing more than to roll over and go back to sleep, but he knew he couldn't. Instead, he reaches over and yanks his alarm, pulling it from the wall. Half asleep, he smirks in victory and rolls back over.

However, his mind doesn't allow him to fall back asleep and he groans, clearly annoyed. He knew better. He had to get up and get ready before waking Bria, since Nadia would be there in about an hour and a half so he could head out.

Much to his dismay, he pushes the covers back and crawls out of bed. He makes his way out of his room and heads down the hall to check on his daughter. He smiles, leaning against her door frame as he watches the steady rise and fall of her chest as she slept.

It didn't matter how many horrible things he had done in his life, she was not one of them. In fact, she was the _best_ thing that had ever happened to him, and he thanked God for her every day. It was as if the universe knew he would need her. She had been his saving grace when Allie had gotten sick. She was what kept him up and going on in his life after Allie was taken from him.

That child would never know how much he loved her, or how he would do anything for her.

After watching Bria sleep for a few more minutes, he pushes himself off the door frame and heads toward the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. While it brews, he turns and heads back toward his bedroom, heading straight for the shower.

Thirty minutes later, he emerges from his shower dressed and ready to start his day. He checks the time and decides it was time to get his little girl up for the day. It was always a task in itself and today was no different. It took another thirty minutes and four trips to her room before she finally crawled out of bed and headed into her bath.

He helps her wash her hair before leaving her to finish the rest. Ten minutes later, she's out and getting dressed for her day. She and Jay argue for another twenty minutes over her outfit, and he eventually gives up, leaving her to decide what to wear. She gets dressed while he makes her a bowl of cereal.

"Daddy!" Bria exclaims, down the hall as Jay sits her bowl of cereal on the island. He sighs and rests his hands palm down on the island where he stood.

"What baby?"

"Can Nadia braid my hair when she gets here?" She yells back, and he chuckles. Bria had long learned not to ask her father to do her hair. He had tried many times over the last three and a half years since Allie had been gone, but it always turned out terrible. If it hadn't been for Nadia, the poor child's curly hair would be a mess every single day.

"Of course she will sweetheart, now come eat your breakfast!" He waits, expecting to hear little footsteps, and he crinkles an eyebrow when he gets silence in return. "Bria!"

He pushes himself off the island and makes his way through the living room to the hallway, leading to the door, when he hears a knock. He doesn't bother to check the peephole, knowing it was Nadia and swings it open. He smiles as she pushes past him and into the apartment.

"Morning Jay" She shrugs her jacket off and hangs it on the rack before following Jay further into the apartment.

"Morning Nadia," He greets her back. "I have bagels in the cabinet if you want one." She raises an eyebrow and opens her mouth to speak, but he cuts her off. "Yes, we have the weird strawberry cream cheese you like, it is in the fridge." She nods her head and laughs, turning to head toward the fridge.

Jay sighs when he realizes Bria was still not in the kitchen eating her breakfast. Without a word, he turns to make his way toward her bedroom. "Briana Halstead, you are entirely too quiet in there!" By now, he was standing in her doorway, leaning against it. His arms were folded over his chest as he watched her prance around her bedroom. "What are you up to young lady?"

She stops dead in her tracks, and turns to face him, an adorable smirk on her face. Her hands were behind her back and she stares at her father, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her as he struggled to not laugh at how cute she was.

"What'cha got munchkin?" He asks again.

She doesn't say a word; instead she just walks toward him. Her eyes never leave his and her arms stay firmly hidden behind her as he squats down to her height.

He stays silent, watching her intently as she brings the object in her hand out from behind her and hands it to him. "Happy birthday daddy."

He takes the home made card from her, and smiles as he looks to see the drawing on the front. A stick figure, that was clearly him, wore a triangular 'party' hat and a tiny stick figure stood beside him, in a dress. Across the top wrote "Happy birthday daddy, I love you" in her adorable four year old hand writing.

He stares at the card, smiling like a fool, as he feels a tug at his heart. His eyes were full of unshed tears as he looks back up to his baby girl. She had a huge smile on her face as she watched her father, waiting to see his reaction. She was so proud of the card, and he was so proud of her. How had he gotten such an amazing little girl for his daughter?

He reaches out, bringing her into his arms and hugging her tightly. He smiles when he feels her tiny arms wrap tightly around his neck in return. "Thank you munchkin!" By now they had pulled away from their hug, but his arm was still wrapped around her tiny frame. "You remembered all on your own?" Bria smiles and nods her head proudly.

"She did," Jay nearly jumps out of his skin as he glances over his shoulder to see Nadia standing in the doorway watching their interaction. She was so tiny she never made any noise, and Jay had always hated that. He never let her live it down either. Nadia smiles at him, as she continues on. "I didn't have to remind her at all. She came to me and she wanted to make the card. It was all her, I just helped her with the spelling."

Jay turns back to his daughter, still looking at her and smiling proudly. "Look at you, you little genius. You're such an awesome kid."

Bria smirks. "You're awesomer daddy!"

Both Jay and Nadia laugh as Jay pulls his daughter in for another tight hug. After a minute of the hug, he speaks up, but doesn't let go of her. "Alright, I have to head to work, but I'll see you tonight ok?"

He feels Bria nod, where her head was buried in his neck. "Can we have Chinese for dinner?"

He pulls back, shooting her the same smirk she had just given him. "Of course! Whatever princess B wants, she gets!" This causes Bria to giggle, and he smiles as he loves that sound. "I love you bunches and bunches munchkin."

She leans up and kisses his cheek, melting his heart. "I love you more bunches and bunches daddy! And tell Brookie I said I love her."

He smiles, leaning down to plant a kiss on her forehead before pushing himself to stand up. "I will." He sends her a quick wink before turning to walk out of the bedroom. He gently squeezes Nadia's shoulder and heads down the hall to get his badge and his gun. "I'll see you guys tonight!"

* * *

 **Tree Hill**

Brooke was about to go insane.

Yesterday had been Nathan and Haley's wedding anniversary and Nathan had surprised Haley with a night away from home. They had left for Charlotte yesterday morning after dropping Jamie and Lydia off at school. Brooke had picked them up, and they had been with her ever since.

When Nathan asked Brooke to keep Jamie and Lydia, she was overjoyed. Now, however, she was more than ready for them to go back to school, knowing Nathan and Haley would be home by the time they got out of school today.

It wasn't that she didn't love her niece and nephew, she did, but at this moment when they were both fighting her – on her very little sleep, she wanted to kill them.

"James Lucas Scott," She says, banging on the guest bedroom door. "I know you are _not_ still asleep in there!" She had already woke him up five times, and she was losing patience.

Lydia makes her way out of Brooke's bedroom, where she had slept with Brooke the night before, and jumps up on to the bar stool. She picks the fork up and shoves a bite of pancakes into her mouth. "He doesn't get up when mommy tells him to, either! Daddy always has to yell at him." She informs her aunt, as Brooke moves to stand behind her to put her brown curly hair into two pigtails.

Brooke starts to speak, but stops when she hears the guest room door swing open. Jamie makes his way out, fully dressed and his school bag thrown over his shoulder. He was half asleep, but he was ready none the less. "Shut up you little brat – I'm up."

Brooke shoots her nephew a glare as she ties a pony tail around one of Lydia's pigtails. "Good morning to you too, sunshine." Jamie doesn't say anything in return, and she sighs pointing to the plate of pancakes resting on the counter. "Eat your breakfast, we leave in ten."

Who was this hateful teenager, and what had he done with her sweet, loving and caring Jamie?

True to her word, the three were out the door ten minutes later. She heads toward Tree Hill Elementary first for her to drop Lydia off. She walks her inside, while Jamie waits in the car. Five minutes later, she comes back out and the two head for Tree Hill High.

They pull up in the parking lot, and Brooke puts the car in park. She glances over at Jamie, and waits for him to make a move. He had barely said two words to her since he had woken up this morning.

He was in a fine mood last night, laughing and carrying on. She didn't understand him. Not that she ever understood teenage boys anyway.

"Well Jamie," She starts, seeing as how he wasn't going to. "Have a good day bud."

For the first time since they had gotten into Brooke's car, Jamie turns to look at her. "I'm sorry about this morning."

She instantly shakes her head, urging him to stop. She tells him it is fine and he nods, leaning down to grab his backpack. He grabs the door handle, moving to get out but stops and turns to her. He glances around him real quick, and then leans over, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Bye Aunt Brooke, I love you."

Brooke bites her tongue, trying to hold her laughter at his actions, but smiles none the less. "Bye J-Luke, love you too buddy." He smiles at her before opening the door and jumping out. He quickly makes his way across the parking lot, meeting up with a group of his friends before walking into the school.

She watches him disappear, a sad smile on her face before she puts the car in park and exits the parking lot. She was only a few minutes down the road when her phone rings. She glances at the caller ID and her face lights up instantly. "Hey birthday boy, I was just about to call you!" She exclaims, bringing the phone to her ear.

Jay chuckles from the other end of the line, and she feels her heart ache. She really misses him, but she never really realizes _how much_ until she hears his voice.

"Well you know, I'm getting older here. I can't wait around forever for you to call!"

It was now her turn to laugh. "Good point. I'm surprised you could even remember my number old man!"

"Oh, don't flatter yourself babe." He starts, and she can hear the smirk in his voice. She rolls her eyes, fighting the urge to smile. "I have it saved in my phone."

She laughs once again. "And here I thought I was special."

"Ahh, you're pretty special." He mumbles, and she swears she feels her heart skip a beat at his statement. She couldn't wipe the smile from her face for nothing.

"So, what are your plans for the day?" She asks, turning down the road leading to Clothes over Bros.

"Welll," he draws out and she pulls up in front of the store. She puts the car in park, but doesn't move to get out as she continues to talk to him. "The munchkin and I have a date for tonight to eat our weight in Chinese food while wearing our pajamas and watching the Blackhawks game – but for now, I'm pulling into the precinct."

Brooke sighs, sadly. "Wow, I never thought I would be jealous of a four year old – but I totally am. Make sure she treats you right."

She hears him chuckle. "Oh, I think she will."

She doesn't want to hang up; because she knew the second they did, it would hit her that they were over 900 miles from one another. It would hit her that she wouldn't hear his voice again until way late into the night, and that was only by phone. She wouldn't get to lie in his arms and kiss him like every other couple got to - this long distance thing was killing her. However, she would never admit it. Jay's life was in Chicago, and hers was in Tree Hill. They would just have to figure something out, but not now.

"Alright," She sighs. "You go to work, we'll talk tonight ok? I love you."

"I love you too, beautiful."

She smiles. "Be safe."

"Always am."

* * *

 **Chicago**

Despite the crazy week that the Intelligence Unit had undergone, they had a pretty quiet morning. They had caught another crime scene and after spending two hours investigating it, they had all headed back to the district. The rest of the morning was spent going through old files, databases, and reaching out to CI's to see if they could get any hits.

Everyone was at their respectable desks, while Voight was in his office.

Jay heard the sound of the buzzer, signaling someone was coming up into the bullpen, but he was too deep in his file to look and see who it was.

"THERE SHE IS!" He hears Antonio yell, rather excitedly and he glances up to find Platt leading Bria and Nadia into the bullpen. He should have known. The guys in the unit always pretended to be tough, but they all melted at the sight of his daughter.

He sits his file down on the desk and smiles as he watches his daughter hug her uncle Antonio before making her way to her uncle Adam, who picks her up and throws her into the air before catching her again. She's cackling and Jay smiles to himself, watching them.

"Mini Halstead – how's my favorite rug rat?" He asks, placing a sloppy kiss on her cheek. She cackles more, squirming in his arms. He laughs and sits her back down, and she runs right into her father's arms.

He scoops her up, bringing her to rest on his lap as he hugs her. "Hey munchkin, what are you doing here? I thought you and Nadia were going to the park after preschool." He asks, confused as he glances up at Nadia. She shrugs as she stands in front of his desk.

"We are," Nadia informs him. "She wanted to stop by and see you first though."

Jay glances from Nadia to Bria, who was sitting his lap playing with his badge that hung around his neck on a chain. "Oh, is that so?"

The little girl nods, glancing up at him. The chain of his badge was still in her grip. "Yes daddy, I missed you!"

"Well, you know what?" He asks, and she glances up at him, her eyes wide. He leans down, whispering in her ear. "I missed you too!"

She giggles and he leans down, planting a kiss on her nose. She scrunches it up, and he laughs at the cute face she makes in the process.

"Are you having a good birthday daddy?" She asks, glancing back up at him and locking eyes with her father.

This time, Jay was the one who scrunches his face up as he shrugs. "Eh, it's been ok. I've had to listen to your Uncle Adam's bad jokes all day. It'll be better when I'm home with you."

"Eww," Bria deadpans, while Jay, Antonio and Nadia all laugh.

"HEY!" Ruzek protests, from his desk.

She turns to glance over shoulder at her uncle Adam. Her face was serious as she talks. "It's the truth Uncle Adam, your jokes are bad."

Ruzek glares at the little girl. "You are more and more like your father with each passing day Halstead!"

Bria's lips turn up in a smirk and she turns back to her father. Jay tries not laugh at her antics. "Are we still having Chinese for dinner daddy?"

"You bet."

Before she can reply, Voight walks out of his office. He was just about to bark his order when he sees her sitting on her father's lap. He smiles, which to the unit was out of character, but to Bria, was perfectly normal. The old man had a soft spot for the little girl. "Hey kiddo!"

"Grandpa!" She exclaims, jumping out of her father's lap and running into his arms. She hugs his neck tightly and he returns it without a second thought. While she occasionally visited Allie's parents, Bria had never met Jay's dad so Voight was much like a second grandfather to her. He loved every second of it, only having two grandsons from his son Justin.

After Bria and Voight pull back from their hug, Voight stands up and Bria makes her way back to her father. He reaches down and pulls her into his lap, before turning back to his boss.

"It looks like we've got a lead on Gonzalez" He informs the unit, referring to the main suspect for their current case. "Everyone vest up, we roll out in five." And with that, he turns and heads back in his office to suit up. The rest of the unit stands and starts to gather their belongings.

They each stop and say good bye to Bria, hugging, high fiving or fist bumping her before making their way down stairs.

"Alright munchkin," Jay says, softly patting his daughters leg as to signal her to stand up. She does so, and he follows after her. "I've gotta head back to work but I'll see you in a few hours for Chinese and the Blackhawks game – deal?"

She nods, and he picks her up. She hugs his neck tightly. "Ok, love you daddy. Be safe and kick the bad guys butt!"

Both Jay and Nadia laugh as he kisses her cheek. "I love you too munchkin and I will be. I'll see you later." He gives her one last kiss before handing her off to Nadia.

She takes her and rests her on her hip as Jay grabs his jacket. He waves to them one last time and then heads downstairs after his unit to vest up.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the team stood in front of an old abandoned warehouse. Gonzalez was thought to be inside as this was where he supposedly made his drug deals.

The unit was in formation and was just waiting for their cue to enter and take him down. Ruzek was set to go in first, with Jay and Antonio following in behind him to cover him. Olinsky, Atwater and Voight had gone around the building to storm in from the back entrance.

Once they were all ready, Voight gives them go ahead and they storm into the building to find not only Gonzalez, but four other men as well. It didn't matter, they were prepared for this, and they had them out numbered.

However, things drastically changed in an instant.

One minute they had the four pinned down, and the next Jay's ears are ringing from gunshots.

He doesn't budge from holding down his suspect, but he glances around looking for the source of the gunshot. He watches as Voight tackles Gonzalez to the ground, a gun flying from his hands.

"Antonio is down!" He hears Ruzek shout, and his head whips around to where he was knelt down next to Antonio's lifeless body.

Given that he had already cuffed his man, he jumps up and runs over to where Antonio was lying. He takes in a deep, shaky breath as he sees him lying in a puddle of blood, unconscious, and barely breathing.


	3. Chapter Two

**Tree Hill**

"Thank you, have a good night." Brooke follows the last customer to the door, locking it behind them before turning back to her boutique. She glances around the small store before walking around the counter and reaching for her purse. She pulls her phone out and sighs when she sees it was just a little after eight and she didn't have any messages or calls from Jay.

It wasn't like him to have not called her; he should have been off work by now and she hadn't talked to him since he called earlier that morning. Sure, she knew some days were extra hard on him and he sometimes had to work later into the night but he often tried to avoid that so he could be home with Bria. Plus, it was his birthday so she figured he would do everything in his power to get home to spend time with his little girl.

She feels a twinge of nervousness in her stomach, but quickly pushes the thought from her mind. She couldn't do that to herself, not when she was so far away from him.

 _Brooke stop; He's fine and he will call when he can._ She scolds herself before letting out a heavy sigh and collapsing down on the bar stool that was behind the counter.

She reaches over and grabs her tablet, flipping it open and busying herself with her designs for her new collection. Two sketches and an hour later Brooke glances up from her pad when she hears a soft knock on the door. She looks up to see Nathan and smiles slightly before pushing herself up and walking across the store to unlock the door.

"Hey Nate, what are you doing here?"

He steps in the store, and holds up a bag. "Haley saw the lights on and she figured you and Millie hadn't eaten so she sent me over with some food."

Just about that time, Millie comes walking out of the back and over to where Nathan and Brooke stood. She reaches for the bag. "Thank God, Brooke is such slave driver and I'm starving." She turns and heads back to the counter to dig through the food while Nathan chuckles.

Brooke rolls her eyes good naturedly and laughs as she reaches up to hug Nathan. "I knew there were perks of opening my store across the street from the café. Tell Hales I said thanks."

Nathan laughs, pulling back from the hug. "I will." He follows Brooke across the store and plops down on the couch in the middle of the room.

Brooke joins Millie on the other side of the counter and reaches for a container, silently thanking the heavens for a best friend that knew her so well. She plops a fry in her mouth before raising an eyebrow at Nathan, who was now relaxing back on the couch.

"What do you think you're doing? Aren't you supposed to be helping Haley close up?"

He shrugs. "Well yeah, I'm _supposed_ to be but Jamie is more than qualified to do so."

Brooke shakes her head, and starts to speak when her phone rings. She doesn't check the ID, but silently prays it was Jay as she quickly brings the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

She tries to hide the disappointment in her voice when she hears that the voice on the other side of the line wasn't who she was expecting. "Brooke?" The voice asks, almost unsure of herself and Brooke confirms her identity before the voice continues on. "This is Nadia" The girl takes another pause. "Jay's nanny."

At the tone of the young girl's voice, Brooke's heart begins to race and her mind is soon filled with horrible possibilities of why Nadia would be calling her instead of Jay himself. "Yes Nadia, I know who you are hunny. Why are you calling? Is everything ok? Did something happen to Bria or Jay?" The questions came rushing out of her mouth before she could stop them, and the tone in her voice had Nathan pushing himself up from the couch and Millie turning to face her. Both sets of eyes were glued to Brooke as she gripped the counter top so that her knuckles turned white.

Having also heard the tone in Brooke's voice, Nadia quickly speaks up in hopes to calm her. "No no no no. Bria is perfectly fine, she's here with me." She says looking down to the young girl sleeping in her lap and running her hand through the little girl's hair. "Jay, on the other hand – well, he's fine _physically_."

Brooke was now growing impatient with the young girl, but even in her worried state, she remains calm. "Nadia, what's going on?"

Brooke hears Nadia sigh from the other side of the line, as she was debating how to go about this. By now, Brooke had pushed herself off the counter and walked around it, pacing with one hand resting on her stomach. She was going to be sick. "Jay – he would kill me if he knew I was calling you but I felt like it was the best thing to do. He _really_ needs you right now Brooke, he doesn't want to bug you, but he needs you."

Brooke had tried so hard to stay calm up to his point, but she was quickly losing her restraint. She was curious, confused and downright terrified right now. Despite how much Brooke truly _loved_ Jay, this had been her worst nightmare getting into a relationship with him. She knew how dangerous his job was and knowing that she was over 900 miles away from him if something happened, haunted her daily.

"Nadia!" She snaps, regretting it instantly. "Tell me what is going on! What happened?" She asks, after taking a second to keep her feelings in check. It was all she could do to stay sane right now.

"It's Antonio…" Nadia trails off. "He's been shot; it's bad, really bad."

"I'm on my way." Brooke answers, ending the call before Nadia has a chance to answer her. She didn't need to hear anything else. Antonio was not only Jay's partner and mentor, he was his best friend. Jay thought so highly of the man she had only met a few times. She knew if Antonio was in bad shape, Jay would be putting on a front for his friends, but deep inside he would be coming undone. She refused to let him go through that alone, not when she could be there for him.

Brooke quickly runs to the counter and reaches over it for her purse, frantically searching for her keys with no such luck.

"Brooke, what's going on?" Millie asks, as Nathan makes his way over to them.

"Jay" she pants, throwing her purse and walking around the counter to look for her keys. "I have to get to Chicago."

"Whoa Brooke," Nathan says walking around the counter and grabbing her by the shoulders so that she would stop and look up at him. "Breathe, is Jay ok?" Even though he had never actually met Jay, Brooke seemed to be crazy about the guy. Brooke's current actions were scaring him for not only Jay's sake, but Brooke's as well.

She nods her head. "Yeah, he's ok. His partner and best friend was shot and he's not going to make it. That was his pseudo sister and nanny, she says he's really upset. I have to go there; I have to be with him. He needs me!" She glances around, fighting to get out of Nathan's grip. "Where in the hell are my keys?!"

"You don't need them," Nathan says, and Brooke turns to him annoyed. Had he _not_ heard what she just said? "Come on, I'll drive you to the airport. Millie can look for your keys and take your car back to your house. I'll pick her up on the way back and bring her to her car."

Brooke turns and glances at Millie, and she nods in agreement. "Of course, you guys get out of here and I'll call ahead and get your ticket to Chicago set up."

Brooke nods her head, slipping her jacket on and taking her purse from Millie. She pulls her into a quick hug. "Thank you Millie."

Millie nods her head, hugging her friend tightly. "You're welcome Brooke, now go. Take care of your guy."

Brooke nods and pulls away from the hug slipping her purse over her shoulder as she turns to Nate.

"Come here," He says reaching out and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She doesn't argue, and she allows him to lead her out the door, across the street and into his car.

* * *

 **Chicago**

"What's taking so long?" A very upset Laura Dawson asks, glancing up from the floor to the double wooden doors where her husband had been wheeled back just a little over two hours ago. "Shouldn't we have some news by now?"

Jay reaches over and wraps an arm around his best friend's wife in an attempt to bring her comfort. He knew it was a lost cause, but had the situations been reversed Jay knew Antonio would do the same thing for Brooke.

Gabby glances up from where she sat running her hand through her niece Ava's hair to her sister in law. "Laura, Dr. Arata is one of the best trauma doctors this hospital has. Antonio is in good hands."

Laura nods, but hangs her head as a pitiful sob escapes her. Jay tightens his grip on her and pulls her into his side to comfort her as the double doors swing open.

The entire lobby turns toward the doctor as he makes his way down the hall. Jay pushes Laura to stand up, his arm still wrapped around her for support.

Gabby follows their leads, standing up as she and Ava hold onto one another for support. Matt stands behind her, with both arms wrapped protectively around her and Ava's shoulders. Meanwhile, Atwater has planted himself next to Diego, his hand resting reassuringly on his shoulder.

Voight quickly and quietly makes his way around the group to stand on the other side of Laura as Ruzek, Olinsky, and Roman stand quietly in the back. Burgess quietly pushes through toward Ava, taking her from Gabby's grip, allowing Matt to embrace Gabby.

Dr. Arata approaches the group and clears his throat. "Mrs. Dawson, your husband was shot twice in the neck. The first shot narrowly missed his Carotid artery however the second shot nicked the artery; he lost an abundant amount of blood. In our attempt to remove the bullets we found they were fragmented and they caused several nicks in his severed artery. We were unable to repair the damage. He coded twice during surgery, and we've had to shock his heart numerous times. We were able to stabilize him long enough to get him intubated and put him on a respirator."

Dr. Arata looks away from Laura before glancing back and forth between Jay and Adam, whose clothes were still stained with blood, and gives them a nod. "His fellow officers attempted to stop the blood flow and for that they are to be commended, but his brain was without oxygen for an extended time so in my personal and professional opinion, he can't come back from this. He's too far gone." Dr. Arata's eyes travel back from the group to Laura's and he takes in a shaky breath.

"And while what I'm telling you sound very clinical and cold, I'm just trying to give you the facts. I knew your husband very well, I've worked with him many times and I know your sister in law as well." He pauses, looking around the room and chokes back a sob as Gabby glances up to him with tearful eyes.

"I'm sorry, but there is nothing else we can do for your husband. He is on the respirator, and while it gives him the appearance that he is alive, there has been no brain activity for quite some time. This is where you say your final goodbyes, I am extremely and utterly sorry for your loss." He hangs his head and turns to walk away.

A sob escapes Laura's lips and before Jay can register what is going on, her knees give out beneath her and she starts to falls to the ground. He reaches out and catches her best he can, and eases her down, his arms wrapping tightly around her.

Ava begins to scream hysterically while Burgess fights to hold her up and Ruzek pushes his way through everyone to help steer her away from the crowd. Diego stares blankly before turning to Atwater and seeking comfort from him as he sobs on his shoulder. Gabby collapses into Matt's arms while the rest of the lobby is stunned into silence.

* * *

Just four short hours after receiving Nadia's phone call, Brooke's cab comes to a screeching hault outside Chicago Med. She reaches in her purse, pulls out a few bills and throws it at the cab driver before jumping out and running into the building. She runs directly to the front desk, slamming her hands down on the counter. "Trauma"

The young receptionist looks up at her, raising an eyebrow at her. "Fifth floor."

Brooke quickly thanks her before turning and heading straight to the elevators. She pushes the button and the doors open automatically, and she rushes in, pushing the button for the fifth floor repetitively until the doors slam shut.

Impatiently, she watches the numbers above the door go up and up and after what seems like forever, stops at five.

As soon as the doors swing open, she rushes out and heads straight for the nurses desk. By now, she was damn near out of breath as the older lady looks up and offers her a polite smile. "Yes m'am, can I help you?"

"Antonio Dawson," Brooke gasps, her hand gripping her side."I'm looking for Antonio Dawson's room."

"One moment please," The nurse says turning to type something in to the computer. She glances back up at Brooke. "He's in room 523. Head to the end of the hallway and turn left, you should come right to his room."

"Thank you very much!" Brooke exclaims before she heads down the hall. Soon enough she reaches the end of the seemingly never ending hallway and she rounds the corner, just as Jay comes walking out of the room that the nurse had told her Antonio was in. "Jay!"

Hearing his name, Jay glances up. He doesn't take time to register the fact that she was really standing in front of him before he crashes into her. His arms go around her waist and he buries his face in her neck, violent sobs shaking his entire frame.

Brooke lets out a sigh of relief, and closes her eyes at the feeling of finally being with him, even given the terrible circumstances. She reaches up wrapping an arm him while running the other up and down his back soothingly.

"H- he's gone."

"I know," She mutters, not sure how to bring him the comfort she so badly wanted to. "I know baby, I'm so sorry."


	4. Chapter Three

Despite the great loss that had just occurred, the world continued to carry on.

Dozens of Doctors and nurses whizzed past the young couple as they stood in the middle of the hallway, wrapped in each other's arms. Jay's face was buried in Brooke's neck as he sobbed, and she was at a total loss of how to comfort the man she so desperately loved. Nobody had the heart to move the pair.

After a good ten minutes, Jay manages to cry himself out but he doesn't move from Brooke's embrace. Despite the horrible circumstances, he had missed her more than he ever cared to admit, and he was so glad to be with her again. He didn't want to let her go.

"Jay" Brooke whispers, her hand sliding down his back and to his side, clutching his t-shirt in her fist. He places a soft kiss to her neck before pulling back and looking down at her. "Hey, come on, let's sit down."

Jay doesn't say anything but he nods, allowing her to move him across the hall and into a nearby waiting room. He sits in the chair closest to the door and she moves to sit next to him. Her hand reaches out and grabs one of his, bringing it to rest in her lap. She runs her thumb over the top of his hand comfortingly as she watches him, her heart breaking more and more with each passing second.

This wasn't her Jay. Sure, he was the same person physically as he sat beside her, but mentally, she knew he wouldn't be the same.

Brooke doesn't say anything; instead she takes the time to look her boyfriend over.

First her eyes fall on the gash above his left eyebrow that was being held together by steri strips, and she silently wonders what had went wrong for him to have gotten it, or if he had even bothered to get it checked out before placing the strips over the wound himself. With a silent sigh, her eyes travel down to take in the blank and hollow look he had in his eyes. The look scared her more than anything.

Next, she continues as she takes in his strong jaw, that was currently clenched shut and she sighs, out loud this time. He doesn't seem to hear as his eyes don't move from their placement on the wall in front of him.

Her eyes travel down over his slumped shoulders, to his clenched fist that was resting on his thigh. He looked defeated; this was clearly eating away at him, and she didn't know what to do to stop it.

Finally, for the first time since arriving, she notices that his shirt and jeans were both splattered and stained with blood. She grimaces, and her stomach drops as he urges herself to remain calm. She knew it was Antonio's blood, and she knew in that moment that Jay had done everything in his power to save his best friend, but it just wasn't possible.

She takes in a deep, shaky breath before squeezing his hand gently. He pries his eyes away from the wall and he turns his gaze to her. She gives him a sad smile. "You want to talk about it?"

He shakes his head. "Not really, I just want to go home."

She nods her head understandingly before pushing herself out of the chair. "Ok, then let's go." She stands in front of him and he glances up at her. He doesn't say anything; instead he takes her out stretched hand. She pulls him up so that he was once again towering over her and without a second thought; he reaches out and wraps an arm around her shoulders.

Brooke smiles to herself wrapping an arm around his waist and they turn to make their way toward the elevators.

* * *

Thirty minutes later Jay pulls his car up in front of his apartment building and kills the ignition. He turns to look at Brooke and speaks for the first time since having gotten in the car. "Do you even have any bags with you?"

She shakes her head, laughing slightly. "No, I ran straight out of my store and went to the airport."

He watches her for a moment, taking in her expression. He knew she was dead serious, and he couldn't stop the smile if he wanted to. He had no idea how he had managed to score someone as amazing as Brooke Davis, but he was forever thankful that he had her.

She shoots him a wink and he chuckles as he pulls the key from the ignition and climbs out of the car. She follows after him and as soon as he makes his way around the car, they once again wrap their arms around one another before walking toward Jay's building.

"I'll go shopping in the morning and get enough to hold me over. Until then can I bum something from you to sleep in?" She offers him a polite smile as he holds the door open for her and she walks in the lobby, heading for the elevator with him right on her heels.

"Of course," He sends her a slight smile as he pushes the button for the elevator. Seconds later the doors swing open and he pulls her inside, pushing the button for his floor.

The two ride in a comfortable silence up to the seventh floor and once they step off the elevator they only have to walk a few feet before they reach Jay's door. He stuffs his key in the lock and the door swings open. "I'm not sure if Nadia and Bria are here or if they went to her apartment." He mumbles, stopping at the small table just inside the door. He pulls his wallet from his pocket and lays it on the table with his keys.

Having already visited Jay a few times in Chicago, Brooke continues on into the apartment. She stops to turn on a small lamp and smiles when the room illuminates. "Found them."

Jay follows her voice and walks further into the living room. He smiles slightly when he sees Bria and Nadia cuddled up on the couch, both sound asleep. Nadia was sleeping against the cushions with her arms wrapped tightly around Bria's tiny body. Bria's head was resting on her chest, while she fisted Nadia' sweatshirt, making sure that she didn't get far from her.

He watches them for a moment, knowing Allie would love nothing more than to see their daughter cuddled up to the young girl that had been like a younger sister to her, to both of them.

He walks over to them and leans down, carefully scooping his daughter up in his arms as to not wake Nadia. He sighs, adjusting Bria so that she was on his hip and her head rested on his shoulder, as Nadia begins to stir. Soon her eyes open and she pushes herself to sit up.

"No," Jay says looking down to the young girl, halting Nadia immediately. "It's too late for you to drive home. Why don't you take the guest room?"

"Jay," She protests, standing up. "I'm fine –"

"Nadia, no." His voice was stern, and she glances up at him, taking in the look in his eyes. Between his serious tone and he look in his eye, Nadia knew better than to argue with him. "Take the guest room; I don't need to worry about you tonight too."

She nods her head, offering him a sad smile as she hears the determination in his voice. "Ok, goodnight then." She glances to Brooke and smiles slightly before heading toward the hallway.

"Goodnight." Both Jay and Brooke say in unison as Jay turns to glance at Brooke. He nods his head to his sleeping daughter in his arms. "I'm going to go put her in bed; you know where the bedroom is. I'll meet you there." He watches her closely as she walks over to him, resting one hand on his bicep, the other resting on Bria's back.

She glances up at him and nods, before leaning up and pressing a soft kiss to Bria's cheek. "Good night pretty girl." She whispers, reaching up and brushing a curl out of the sleeping girl's face, ultimately melting Jay into a puddle of goo.

He and Brooke talked for a while before he even mentioned the idea of her to Bria, but soon after he did, Brooke flew out to Chicago to meet the young girl. He had been skeptical to introduce the two most important girls in his life, but they had hit it off right away and now they thought the world of each other. Brooke and Bria had gravitated toward one another, and he was forever in awe of the relationship that the two already had.

While she had Nadia in her life, she had always been more like a big sister to her. Bria longed for a mother figure and Brooke had proudly and openly took on that role, even after only being with him for such a short time. She loved him, and she loved that little girl. That was all she needed.

"I'll be right back," Jay mumbles leaning down and meeting Brooke for a soft kiss. When he pulls back, Brooke smiles up at him and he returns it slightly before turning and walking down the hallway to Bria's room.

Walking into Bria's room, Jay doesn't bother to turn the light on, as he didn't want to wake her. Instead, he uses the tiny night light in the far corner as he makes his way across the room. He reaches down and with one hand pulls the covers back, while holding on to Bria with the other. He gently lays her down in the bed, and brings the comforter up to cover her.

He places her stuffed pig next to her before squatting down next to her head. He reaches up, brushing her hair out of her face. He watches as she squirms, and he freezes afraid he had woken her but relaxes when she remains fast asleep.

He watches her for a few more minutes before pushing himself up. He leans down, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. "Good night munchkin, I love you." And with that, he turns and heads out of her room. He makes his way to the end of the hall and into his bedroom.

He finds Brooke sitting on the bed, waiting for him. She glances up when he enters and he offers her a small smile before making his way over to his dresser. He shuffles through it and finds her something to wear to bed before walking over to her. He hands her the clothes, and she thanks him with a kiss to the cheek.

Once they were changed and ready for bed, they both crawl into bed. Jay lies on his back and holds his arm out, and Brooke crawls to him, snuggling into his side without a second thought. It was like they had done this a million times, when sadly, it had only been a handful of times.

His hand moves up and down her arm softly as he leans down to press a kiss to the crown of her head. "Thank you."

She turns in his arms to glance up at him. "For what?"

"For coming out here," He says his eyes never leaving hers. "You will never know how much it means to me that you just up and left home, without even stopping to pack a bag, and flew out here to be with me right now."

"Jay," She says, her hand reaching up and cupping his jaw. "You don't have to thank me. I love you, so much and you're hurting. There is nowhere I would rather be right now."

Jay doesn't respond, instead he just leans down and captures her lips in a kiss.

* * *

From there on out, everything was a whirlwind for Jay and the rest of the team as they tried to adjust to a world without Antonio.

Brooke had tried to get Jay to stay home, but the very next day he was back at work. She didn't understand how he was doing it, but this was the only way he knew how to cope with the pain.

He had to keep going no matter what, no matter how hard life got, a lesson he had learned from Antonio himself.

Work served as a good distraction, as long as the unit was out and active, but when they were stuck in the pen with stacks of paper work, it always seemed to catch up with him. The silence and Antonio's empty desk were almost too much for him to handle.

"Halstead"

Jay tears his eyes from the empty desk in front of him and to the door of Voight's office. The older man was leaning against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest as he watched Jay closely.

"Can we talk in my office for a minute?"

"Uh yeah," Jay says turning his attention back to the stack of papers in front of him. He sighs and decides to leave them where they were before pushing himself up and out of his chair. He follows Voight into his office, and closes the door behind him, before sitting in the chair next to Voight's desk. "What's up Sarge?"

Voight leans back in his chair, studying the young man in front of him. "How you doing?"

Jay looks to him, raising an eyebrow. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." Voight argues, and when Jay moves to argue back, he raises a hand to silence him. Jay obliges. "Jay you may have everyone else in this unit fooled, but not me. You are the farthest thing from fine right now."

Jay doesn't say anything; he glances anywhere but Voight's gaze.

"Look kid, I know what you're going through. It's hard, harder than you'd ever imagine. Antonio was more than your partner; he was your best friend." Jay glances toward the older man, but refuses to lock eyes with him. "I know you feel like this is your fault, but it isn't. You had no control over the prick that did this, if anything, this is my fault. It was a miscommunication error on my part; you were only doing as you were told."

"I should have been there," Jay mutters, conviction in his voice. "I was his partner; I was supposed to have his back."

"And you did," Voight cuts him off. "You did everything you could after he was shot. He made it to the hospital because of you."

" _Antonio is down!" Jay's head snaps from his perp to where Ruzek was kneeling next to Antonio's body. Jay glances down at the perp lying on the cold ground, his knee resting on the guy's back holding him down, and double checks that he was handcuffed before jumping up and running across the warehouse to Antonio and Adam._

" _Shit," he mutters as he finds Antonio lying in a puddle of blood, struggling to breathe. He kneels beside the man and his hand flies to Antonio's neck, where he presses down in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He watches as the flow stops drastically, but his hands were now stained crimson. "Antonio, hey man, come on wake up."_

 _He hears Ruzek frantically calling for help, while applying pressure to another wound._

" _Antonio, stay with us ok?" Jay pleads his voice cracking. "Help is on the way, you just have to hang in there. You're going to be ok."_

" _You and I both know that's a load of bull." Antonio groans, his eyes still closed tightly as he tried to fight the searing pain he felt all over his body._

" _No, no. You're going to be fine."_

" _Jay - "_

" _No!" Jay shouts pressing down on the wound harder, causing Antonio to groan in pain, but Jay doesn't budge. He had to stop the bleeding completely. "You and I both know as soon as you give up, this is over. So you do what you do best right now, and fight ok?"_

" _Yeah," Antonio mumbles and Jay glances up at Ruzek. "How much longer til the ambo arrives?"_

" _They're two minutes out." Ruzek informs him and Jay turns back to Antonio._

" _Antonio you better keep holding on, you can't go anywhere just yet. Remember we have that Blackhawks game next week that I payed out the ass to get tickets for."_

 _Antonio chuckles slightly, before grimacing slightly. "Maybe you should take Ruzek instead."_

" _Not a chance." Jay responds instantly._

" _Hey."_

 _Jay rolls his eyes as Ruzek shoots him a look._

" _Brooke" Antonio croaks, earning the attention of both Jay and Adam. They share a knowing look before glancing down to the dying man._

" _What about her?" Jay asks, as Antonio's eyes slowly open. Jay mentally curses as he notices the dazed look in the older man's eyes._

" _Hold on to her Jay, she's it for you. I haven't seen you this happy since Allie died."_

" _No Antonio," Jay is shaking his head at his friend refusing to accept what was happening. His best friend was dying right in front of him and there was nothing he could do to stop it. "We aren't having this conversation right now."_

" _Jay –"_

 _Jay silently thanks the heavens above when he hears sirens approaching. "No! We talked about this – no giving up! Understand?" He demands._

 _Antonio sighs at his friends stubbornness, his eyes drifting shut once again. "Understand."_

Pushing Voight's comment aside, he sighs while running his hand down his leg. "No offense sir, but why did you call me in here?"

Voight studies the young man in front of him, and takes a deep breath. He knew Jay was about to be pissed at him, but it was for the kid's own good, so he doesn't sugar coat it. "Jay, I pulled you in today to tell you I've talked to Commander Fischer and we both think it is best if you take some time off."

Jay's blood begins to boil instantly and he shoots out of his chair. "What? Why in the hell do I need to take time off?"

"Because, you just lost your partner and your best friend. You're here physically, but your head isn't in your work. You're not ok even though you refuse to admit that to anyone, and quite frankly, you being here when you're this distracted puts the entire unit at danger and I won't lose another member of my team."

Jay just stares at the older man, fuming but he knew better than to push his luck when it came to Voight. Instead, he rests his hands on his hips and glares at the older man. "How long am I out for?"

"Until that therapist you're seeing clears you." Voight replies, before pushing himself out of his chair. He walks around the desk and stops in front of Jay, holding his hand out. "Effective immediately."

Jay rolls his eyes, reaching down for his gun and his badge. He slips them both off before handing them to Voight. He doesn't stick around to hear what he had to say; instead he turns and makes his way out of the office. He only stops long enough to grab his jacket off the back of his chair before continuing to exit the pen.

* * *

Thirty minutes after leaving the district, Jay returns to his apartment to find Brooke and Bria both in the kitchen. Brooke was standing at the stove, stirring whatever it was she had cooking in the pan, while Bria stood on a stool next to her, as she had been deemed her "special helper."

"You're home early." Brooke comments, glancing to Jay as she continues to stir the food she was preparing. She watches as he shrugs before walking to the fridge and pulling out a beer. He twists the lid and takes a long gulp before making his way over to his daughter and kissing the top of her head.

"Hi princess B,"

"Hi daddy," She glances up at her father, sending him an eager smile and he can't help but return the gesture. No matter how crappy of a day he was having, this little girl could cheer him up instantly.

"I'm Brookie's special helper!" She exclaims, still turned to face Jay. "We watched movies, went to the park and then we went to the store. Then when we came home I got to help her cut the food and put it in the pan!"

Jay chuckles at his excited look on his daughter's face as he leans back against the counter next to her. He rarely cooked, so she didn't have much experience getting to cook, but he knew that wasn't the reason behind her excited demeanor. She had spent the entire day with Brooke, after he had decided to give Nadia a much needed day off, and he knew she was on cloud nine having gotten plenty of motherly love from his girlfriend.

"You did? Well it sounds like you ladies had a busy day and I know this food is gonna be delicious." He says shooting his daughter a wink. She giggles, and then turns back to Brooke as she was content with his statement.

Brooke turns her gaze back to him. "How was work?"

"Rough," he mumbles, before bringing the beer bottle back to his lips. "I should have listened to you, looking up and having to look at Antonio's empty desk suffocated me all day."

Brooke glances from him to the food and back to him once more. He was staring straight ahead, dazed out and she sighs. She flips the burner off, and turns to Bria, lifting her down from her stool. "Alright pretty girl, why don't you go wash up for dinner ok?" Bria nods her head, and runs off down the hallway toward the bathroom.

Brooke takes advantage of this time and moves to stand in front of Jay. She only earns his attention when she pries the now almost empty bottle from his grip and places it on the counter. "Jay, look at me." She says reaching up, cupping his jaw in her hands.

He forces himself back to reality and glances down at her.

"Tell me more about your day."

He stares at her for a moment, before sighing. "Voight and Commander Fischer decided to put me on leave for a while."

"What?" She asks, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Why?"

"They think I'm too distracted to be out in the field, and that I am putting everyone else in danger, so they're putting me on probation until Dr. Morrison thinks I can handle it and clears me to go back."

"Oh Jay, I'm sorry."

He just shrugs. "It's for the best, they're right. I was a complete mess today, and I easily could have gotten Atwater or Ruzek killed, and if that had happened, I would never forgive myself."

She nods understandingly and the two remain silent for a few minutes. By now, he had reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into him. She had retaliated by slipping her arms around his torso and snuggling into his chest. "Maybe this is a good thing," She says referring to his time off. "Maybe this is what you need to just clear your head and get a grip on things."

He nods slightly. "Yeah, I need a fresh start, but it's just not that easy. Everywhere I look, everywhere I go, I'm going to think of him and all the memories. Chicago will always be the city where I lost and had to bury my mom, my wife and my best friend."

She pulls back slightly, keeping her arms wrapped tightly around him as she speaks. "Well maybe you just need a break from Chicago. You know, take a couple of weeks, go somewhere completely new and get back to the old you."

"You say that like it's so easy." He chuckles, and he raises an eyebrow at her devious expression. "What are you thinking Brooke Davis?"

She slowly slides her hands up his chest, before wrapping them around his neck. "Come to Tree Hill with me."


	5. Mother's Day

"Hey munchkin!" Jay exclaims, glancing over his shoulder as his daughter climbs into the backseat of his car. "How was school?"

"It was good," Bria replies, watching as her uncle Adam shuts her door and climbs in the passenger seat as he had wanted to be the one to go in and pick her up to surprise her.

"You learn anything?" Adam asks, as Jay puts the car in drive and heads out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't understand Uncle Adam."

Having just taken a gulp of his coffee, Jay nearly chokes and Adam turns around in his seat to glare at the young girl. "Watch it mini Halstead."

Bria simply sends her uncle a smirk before turning to look out the window. Adam turns back around in his seat and glances to Jay, earning the same smirk he had received from Bria. Adam rolls his eyes at the father daughter duo as Bria speaks up.

"Where's Brookie?"

"I had to go with your uncle Adam this morning so I just thought I'd swing by and pick you up." Jay says glancing in the rear view mirror at his daughter. "That ok?"

Bria nods. "Yeah."

Jay chuckles at his daughter's simple response.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah B?"

"Are we getting Brookie anything for mommie's day?"

With wide eyes, Jay glances back at his daughter. "What? How'd you know about that?" It wasn't that Jay had purposely ignored the holiday, every year he made a point to take Bria to Allie's grave, but she had never really been old enough to understand the holiday, and that had been fine with him.

Bria just shrugs. "My teacher told us about it today." Jay stays silent. "I know mommy is in heaven, but I have Brookie. She's my mommy too right?"

"Of course she is baby girl." He says sending his daughter a small smile. "She would love to be your mommy."

Bria smiles. "So what are we getting her? My teacher says we have to get our mommies a present!"

Both Jay and Adam chuckle at the little girl's antics. "I don't know munchkin, what are you thinking?"

* * *

Bright and early Sunday morning, Bria sneaks her way into Jay's bedroom. She stays quiet as possible as she runs to Jay's side of the bed and nudges him.

After a few tries, Jay's eyes slowly slip open and he disentangles himself from Brooke, turning to face his daughter.

"Get up daddy," She whispers, glancing over his shoulder at Brooke ever so often to make sure she was still asleep. "We have to get to work!"

Jay chuckles at his daughter's eager attitude and reluctantly pushes himself out of bed. He follows her out of the bedroom and down the hall. He gets to work making pancakes while Bria scoops up a few spoonfuls of fruit in a bowl and fixes a glass of orange juice.

Once the pancakes were done, Jay grabs the tray and looks to his daughter. She grabs the roses they had bought the night before and hid, along with her homemade card and the two head down the hallway toward the bedroom.

Jay allows Bria to go in first, and before he can even get to the room he hears Bria. When he walks in he finds her jumping on the bed, trying to wake Brooke.

"Brookie, wake up! It's mommie's day!"

Jay sits the tray down on the dresser and watches as Brooke reaches out, and pulls Bria in her arms, tickling her. Bria cackles and fights to get away from Brooke, but it was no use, Brooke had too good of a hold on his little girl.

"Daddy –"Bria gasps in between cackles."Daddy – help me!"

Jay sends his daughter a smirk, and heads toward the bed. He acts like he was going to reach for Bria, when last minute he turns and tackles Brooke, tickling her.

Taken back, Brooke lets go of Bria and the little girl jumps off the bed while Jay moves over Brooke, his fingers tickling her sides relentlessly. Brooke was laughing so hard she had long gone silent, as she squirmed underneath Jay's frame.

"Stop – stop." She manages to gasps.

"Never," he smirks, not letting up from his actions. He's laughing so hard his side hurts, and he hears Bria cackling from the end of the bed.

"Jay please," She gasps, reaching for his hands. He was much stronger than her, so she unfortunately couldn't' stop him if she wants.

"Bria, come on!" Jay says glancing over his shoulder at his daughter. They share a smirk before she climbs up on the bed and she joins her father in tickling her.

After a few more minutes, Jay sits back and pulls Bria back in his lap to give Brooke a break. Brooke sits up against the headboard, her chest heaving as she tries to catch her breath.

Jay gives his daughter a look and she jumps off the bed, running to get the flowers and her card. He follows after her, bringing the tray and resting them in Brooke's lap as Bria hands the flowers and the card to Brooke.

Brooke looks back and forth between the flowers and card and the breakfast before looking to Jay and Bria. They both had adorable grins on their faces as they waited for her reaction. She felt her heart swell. "What is all this?"

"It's mommie's day!" Bria eagerly informs her and Brooke swears her heart swells even more in that moment. She looks to Jay, and he shrugs.

"Tell her what you told me and uncle Adam."

"I know my mommy is in heaven, but it's ok because I still have you. You're my mommy now." She trails off, watching Brooke closely. "Right?"

With tears in her eyes, Brooke reaches out and pulls Bria in her lap. "You're so right baby girl, I'm your mommy too. Gosh, I love you so much." She places a kiss to Bria's temple as she reaches up and pulls Jay down beside them. "Both of you." She mumbles reaching over and kissing him.


	6. Chapter Four

The next couple days were hard with Antonio's funeral. After his argument with Voight, Jay had gone home to spend a few hours with his girls, calming himself down. Once Bria had gone to bed, he had went back to talk to Voight and actually accepted the leave.

The day of the service, Jay still made a point to dress the part and stand with his unit. Nobody was going to stop him from honoring his fallen brother, his best friend, and honestly nobody was brave enough to try and stop him.

Jay only managed to make it through the week with the help of Brooke. She had been his rock since she had arrived, and he wasn't sure what he would have done without her. Brooke and Bria had been what had kept him sane over the course of her stay, and he dreaded when she would have to go home – he feared what would happen to him.

After thinking on it, Jay decided to take Brooke's advice and get out of Chicago for a while. After talking to both Voight and Dr. Morrison, who had agreed with him that he needed time to clear his head, he and Bria were going to Tree Hill with Brooke. They would stay two weeks giving them some more time with one another, and allowing him to regroup before he had to return to work in Chicago.

He was excited to not only get away from the haunting of the city, but to also see Brooke in her natural habitat. He would see where she grew up, meet her friends, and find out what made her the wonderful woman he knew and loved so much.

It also could give him a better understanding of what he wanted to do with his life in regards to Brooke. He knew without a doubt that he wanted Brooke, she was it for him, but he was at a loss on what to do about their living so far apart. He hoped after the next couple of weeks, they would have a solution.

The day they were set to fly out, Jay woke early. He had a lot to do to get ready, and they had to be at the airport at 9, which was only two hours from the time his eyes shot open. Reluctantly he pushes himself out of bed and heads to the kitchen to start a pot of much needed coffee. Once he got it started he decided to go ahead and get his shower over with before waking his girls, given it would be a fight.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later he steps out of the bathroom, showered and dressed for his day. Glancing to the alarm clock on his nightstand he sees he still had fifteen minutes left before he promised Brooke he would wake her up, so he turns and heads into the living room to double check that he and Bria had everything they needed for the trip.

Once he was sure that he had indeed packed everything, he makes two cups of coffee and heads toward the bedroom to wake Brooke. He walks in the bedroom and around to her side of the bed. He sits his cup on the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed. Careful to hold Brooke's mug out away from her, so that she wouldn't get burned, he leans down planting a soft kiss to her lips. She stirs slightly and he smiles, reaching up brushing her hair out of her face. "Brooke wake up, it's seven thirty."

"Already?" She groans, and he chuckles. If the last week had taught him anything, it was that she was not a morning person. She was a very unpleasant person until she had her morning coffee, and being the same way, it only made Jay love her more.

"Yes babe, already." He watches her as she pushes herself to sit up against his headboard. "But I have coffee,"

He watches as her eyes light up and she reaches out for the mug that he was still holding out to the side. "Give me!"

He raises an eyebrow at her, chuckling, before giving in to her and handing her the cup. She takes it and takes a giant gulp before looking to him gratefully. "Perfect, thank you." She loved the fact that as little time that they've spent together in person, he already had her coffee order down.

"You're welcome; now go get ready while I go wake sleeping beauty." He moves to stand up, but stops halfway when she pulls on his arm. He turns around and raises an eyebrow at her in confusion, to only be pulled down to her. Brooke stops him when his face was only inches from hers. She offers him a slight smile, to which he automatically returns.

"Good morning handsome," She mutters, her voice still heavy with sleep. The tone of her voice causes his heart to flutter and he leans forward to press his lips to hers.

"Mmm, good morning beautiful," He mutters against her lips. She shakes her head laughing.

"No, not when I look like this."

"Stop Brooke, you're beautiful no matter what."

"And you're too good to me." She says leaning up and kissing him again gently before climbing out of bed. "I'll be out soon." She mutters before turning and heading into his bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Jay grabs his own coffee cup and then heads out of his room and down the hall to Bria's room. Much to Jay's surprise, she doesn't fight, but instead jumps out of bed eagerly. She gets in the tub without any question, allows Jay to wash her hair and then dresses without an argument. The whole thing took less than ten minutes leaving Jay surprised and confused.

Bria followed Jay in to the living room and climbed up on the couch, playing a game on her iPad while Jay stood in the kitchen nursing his second cup of coffee. He takes a few minutes to enjoy the silence and with a huff, he pushes himself off the counter when he hears a knock on the door.

Coffee cup in hand, he heads through the kitchen, across the living room and down the hall to the door. He swings it open and offers Nadia a small smile before pulling her in for a hug. "Hey, thanks for doing this."

"Oh, it's no problem." She says squeezing him back before stepping back and following him in the apartment. "There is no need in paying to park your car at the airport for two weeks when I could just drop you guys off."

"Well I still appreciate it," He says walking in to the living room, Nadia following close behind him. Brooke was now in the kitchen rinsing her mugs out as Bria's head shot up.

"Nadia!" She eagerly exclaims, tossing her iPad beside her on the couch and sprinting across the room to her. Nadia reaches down and catches the little girl with ease, resting her on her hip as Bria hugs her neck tightly.

"Hey princess B, I've missed you this week!"

"I've missed you too! But I've had fun with my Brookie!" Both Nadia and Bria glance to Brooke as she makes her way out of the kitchen and over to them.

"Morning Nadia," Brooke offers a bright smile and Jay chuckles at her chipper attitude. It was amazing what a little coffee could do.

"Morning Brooke," Nadia offers, smiling in return. "Ready to get back home?"

Brooke laughs, nodding lightly. "Yeah, not that I don't like the city, but I miss home. I'm glad these two are going with me for a bit."

"Yeah, I guess they're pretty good company," Nadia agrees earning a glare from Jay, who was sitting on the arm of the couch.

"Yeah, they are." Brooke says as Jay reaches out and wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her back toward him. Once she was standing beside him his arm stays wrapped securely around her waist and she smiles leaning into his side.

"Are you going with us to Tree Hill, Nadia?" Bria asks, her eyes focused on the giant pendant that hung around Nadia's neck. The little girl held it securely in her hands as she glanced up to Nadia, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Nadia laughs. "Nah baby girl, I'm going to hang out here."

Bria's hopeful smile turns into a small frown. "But why? I'm going to miss you!"

"And I'm going to miss you!" Nadia exclaims, reaching up and placing her pointer finger on the little girls nose, earning a cackle from her. "But you and daddy need to go and spend some time with Brooke ok?"

The look on Bria's face told Nadia that she wasn't happy with her answer, but the little girl agrees and nods anyway.

"Uh you know," Brooke speaks up, running her hand through Jay's hair as she speaks. Both Nadia and Jay glance to her while Bria's gaze stays focused on Nadia's necklace that she still held in her hand. "If you want to get away and come with us, you totally can. I have an extra room you can stay in, its upstairs away from everyone else so you can have some privacy when you need it, and we're literately right on the beach."

Nadia instantly shakes her head, while Bria was practically jumping up and down in her arms at the idea. "Brooke, I really appreciate it, but you don't have to –"

"No, come." Jay adds, tearing his eyes from Brooke to Bria and then to Nadia. "I mean how can you turn down a two week paid vacation to the beach? When is the last time you've been to the beach Nads?" He raises an eyebrow at the younger girl, and she glares at him.

Nadia glances back and forth from Brooke to Jay who was both smiling, waiting for her to give in. She then glances to the little girl in her arms, locking eyes with her instantly.

"Pleasseeeee," Bria eagerly pleads, jutting out her bottom lip. This little girl was 110% Jay, but that move was all Allie. Jay chuckles and Nadia can't stop the smile as she recalls many times Allie had convinced her of stuff using the same method.

"You know you can't so no to that face," Brooke adds.

"Plus, you know you will be sitting here bored out of your mind for two weeks without us, I mean its not like you have work or anything" Jay adds, nodding to Bria who was still holding on to Nadia as if she would slip away from her at any moment. Nadia glances to Jay, nodding her head. He was right.

Nadia's father had run off and left her mother when she was Bria's age, leaving her mother to work two jobs to provide for her and her sister Ashley. Nadia's mom and Allie's mom were best friends, and Ashley and Allie had become close as well. Nadia had learned to follow them around given that they spent many nights at the Corson household while their mom was at work.

When Nadia was twelve, her mother was killed in a car accident, and Ashley and Nadia had moved in with Allie and her family. Just two years after moving in with the Corson's, Ashley had gotten a scholarship to attend college on the West Coast, and she packed up and headed out. To this day she hasn't come home, and much to Nadia's dismay, they had lost touch over the years.

Allie and her parents had become the only family she really had after Ashley left. Allie stepped in and had taken Nadia under her wing, being the big sister that Ashley never was. As they grew older Nadia spent many nights in with Allie and Jay during their relationship and the day Bria had been born, Nadia had never been happier. They weren't your typical family, but the four of them were just that.

After Allie had passed away, her parents became more distant (after losing both of their children) so Jay and Bria become all that Nadia really had left. That was when she took the job as Bria's nanny, as not only a way to help Jay out, but so that she could always hold them close to her.

Nadia sighs, glancing from the little girl in her arms to Brooke and Jay. "Are you sure you don't mind? I won't be imposing?"

"Of course not!" Brooke exclaims. "I mean, we'll have Jay here outnumbered, and that can be fun." She says, her lips turning up in a smirk. Nadia laughs and Jay shoots her a look before reaching up and tickling Brooke's side. She lunges to the side and her hands fly to his to stop him before he could go any further, causing him to laugh. "But seriously, you're apart of Jay and Bria's family, so as far as I'm concerned you're apart of mine." Nadia offers a thankful smile to Brooke, and Brooke returns the gesture as Jay glances up at her. As if he needed any more reason to be head over heels in love with this woman.

"Ok," Nadia nods, laughing slightly. "Thank you."

"You're going?" Bria asks, perking up in Nadia's arms.

"Yeah princess B, I am!"

* * *

"And here we are!" Brooke exclaims, swinging the door open and stepping inside the beach house. She steps back, allowing Nadia and Jay to follow her in. "Here, follow me and I'll show you where you can lay her down." She says, referring to Bria who rested on Jay's hip, her head on his shoulder as she slept.

The entire ride to the airport Bria became very jittery and nervous about flying but Brooke had somehow managed to talk her down. However, the second she saw the plane her eyes grew three times their original size. Once they were safely inside and buckled in their seats, Jay had given her a Benadryl to help her relax for the three and a half hour flight. She had slept through the entire flight, unloading, baggage claim and Millie picking them up and driving them back to Brooke's house.

Jay nods his head and follows Brooke around the corner to the guest room. "She can sleep in here for now." Brooke says, pulling the covers back allowing Jay to lay her in the giant bed. She gently covers her up as Jay leans down, placing a kiss to her forehead. He then stands up and wraps an arm around Brooke's shoulder, before they make their way back into the living room.

"Nadia," Brooke says, causing Nadia to tear her eyes away from the picture frame she was looking at. "Your room is upstairs, first door on the right. Bathroom is across the hall and the laundry room is next to the bathroom. There's another empty bedroom next to yours, but its mostly storage right now."

"Thanks Brooke," Nadia nods, reaching for her bag and throwing it over her shoulder. "I'm going to take my stuff upstairs then I'm going to go for a walk on the beach, give you two some alone time." She turns to Jay, offering him a playful wink before turning to run up the stairs, not giving him the chance to say anything back.

Once Nadia had disappeared upstairs, Jay turns to Brooke. He smirks, reaching out and wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. She glances up at him, her arms snaking around his neck as she mirrors his smile. "Thank you,"

"For what?" She asks, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"For everything," He mutters, one of his hands leaving her waist and reaching up to brush a curl out of her face. "For coming to Chicago, for being there for me this past week, for letting us come here…" He trails off, his smile growing. "For letting Nadia come as well. You don't know how much that meant to me."

"She's important to you Jay, you said it yourself she's like a little sister to you, so she's important to me."

"Gosh, you're amazing. I love you."

"I love you more," She smirks, reaching up and crashing her lips to his. She pulls away seconds later, and raises an eyebrow to him, a smirk evident on her face. "Now, you wanna see the bedroom?"

Jay chuckles and leans down to grab both of their bags before allowing her to pull him to her bedroom.


	7. Chapter Five

Sliding the last drawer shut Nadia stands up, her hands coming to rest on her hips as she glances around the room making sure she hadn't missed anything.

She was going to be staying in Tree Hill for two weeks with Jay and Brooke. There was nothing more she hated than living out of her suitcase, so the first thing she had done was unpack her belongings so she could feel more at home during her stay, as per Brooke's orders.

Feeling satisfied with her work Nadia grabs her swim suit off the bed and slips into it before pulling a pair of jean shorts on over the bottoms. She slips her flip flops on, grabs her phone and heads back downstairs.

When she reaches the ground floor she looks around, taking in the empty living room and laughs knowing full well they hadn't wasted any time before slipping away. Brooke and Jay were like two love sick teenagers around each other, and while it sometimes was too much, she was happy to see Jay like that once again. She hadn't seen him like that since before Allie had gotten sick.

She walks into the kitchen and grabs the memo pad off the counter, quickly leaving a note letting Jay and Brooke know where she was gonna be. She makes sure to leave it on the counter in sight before heading out the front door, and down the beach.

Once she reaches the sand she slips her flip flops off and decides to just carry them as she slowly makes her way down and walks along the shore, the waves crashing against her feet with the tide. After about five minutes, she decides to stop and just enjoy the scenery so she sits down, bringing her knees to her chest. She rests her chin on top of her legs and wraps her arms around them as the waves continue to crash up against her.

She glances around her, taking in the gorgeous scenery, and the warm sunny day. To her right was a young family. The woman was busy working with a little boy as they buried his dad. He was cackling up a storm and the sound alone caused Nadia's smile to widen. To her right, a group of three guys were busy throwing a football back and forth, talking the traditional trash talk.

She couldn't help but laugh to herself as she turned back to look out at the ocean once more. This place was truly beautiful and she was really glad that not only had Jay managed to get out of Chicago for a while, but she was really thankful that Brooke had been so cool about her coming as well.

When Jay had come home from New York and told her about the woman he had met, she had been skeptical. The first time Brooke had flown out to Chicago and she had met her, she felt better about her. She still had her doubts, but she could tell the way Brooke looked at Jay that she was crazy about him. This past week had done nothing more than already confirm what Nadia knew: Brooke was perfect for Jay. She not only loved him, but she loved his daughter and both were crazy about her in return. Nadia was glad that Jay had finally found that again, he deserved it.

However it did break her heart because she knew in just a matter of time, Jay and Bria would be moving to North Carolina to be with Brooke full time. It only made sense, what Brooke and Jay had was a once in a lifetime thing, and Chicago held too many painful memories for Jay. She knew it would hurt like none other to lose them, but if she was going to lose them, she was glad they were gaining Brooke. They needed her more than they realized.

"Watch out!"

Nadia's head quickly turns in the direction of the shout just as the football plops down next to her, missing her by none other than an inch. She shakes her head, laughing. "Seriously?" She felt like she was the lead in a cheesy Nicholas Sparks movie.

Nadia watches as one of the guys starts to jog toward her. He was very attractive; his short black hair was spiked up in the front. He wore a pair of yellow swim trunks and his bare arms and chest were toned and tan.

He was gorgeous and she was staring. She was suddenly thankful for her sunglasses as they hid the fact.

"Are you ok?" He asks, coming to a stop in front of her. He reaches down and grabs the football next to her before turning to glance at her.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." She says looking up at him. He offers her a smile and her heart begins to beat rapidly. His smile was breathtaking.

"I'm Chase," He says reaching up to push his sunglasses so that they were resting on the top of his head. "And you are?"

"Nadia," She offers him a soft smile in return. He motions to the empty spot next to her and she nods, giving him the ok. He turns to his friends and throws them the ball before plopping down next to her. His arms rest on his bent knees before he turns his gaze toward her.

"You new here?"

"Uh, I'm actually just on vacation."

Chase nods, turning to glance back out at the ocean in front of them. Nadia's eyes never leave his profile as she studies him. "Who you on vacation with? Your –"

Nadia shakes her head, knowing where this was going already. "No, no boyfriend. Just me, my niece and my brother." Knowing full well Jay wasn't really her brother; she just leaves it at that. It was much simpler stating it that way, than to really go into detail with someone she didn't even know about her fucked up past and family.

Besides, Jay had been like a brother to her over the years, and he loved nothing more than to play the protective older brother card anyway.

Nadia watches as Chase makes a face and she laughs. He glances to her. "Let me guess, I was doing well until that right?" She asks.

He shakes his head, now joining her in laughing. "Nah, you're still doing pretty good. I'm just going to have to work overtime to keep this brother off my back."

* * *

"Daddy" A very groggy Bria comes stumbling out of the guest room Jay had laid her down in. She was rubbing her eye with her fist as she made her way across the kitchen to her father.

Jay turns around from the pan he was standing at, helping Brooke cooker dinner, and reaches down to lift her up. He rests her on his hip as he pushes her hair out of her face and then places a kiss to her forehead. "How'd you sleep munchkin?"

"Good," She mumbles as she rests her head on his shoulder, playing with his shirt. "Where are we?"

Jay chuckles and Brooke steps around Jay so that she could lock eyes with the little girl. Her hand comes to rest on her back as she runs it up and down soothingly. "We're at my house in Tree Hill."

"We are?" She asks, perking up slightly causing the two adults to laugh at her. Bria had been so excited to come to Tree Hill to Brooke's house. She was almost more excited than Brooke and Jay.

"Yes, we are." Brooke says nodding to the little girl. "How about we eat dinner on the patio and after dinner we can all go down to the beach. How does that sound?"

"Yeah!" Bria begins to squirm in Jay's arms causing Jay to look down at her in confusion. "I want my mommy!" She exclaims, reaching for Brooke.

When Brooke and Jay first met, it was important for Jay that Brooke and Bria got along. He had made it a priority to make sure they did before he allowed himself to get serious. Right away they had formed a bond that had astounded Jay. He knew Bria had yearned for a mother figure, but that didn't mean it didn't still amaze the hell out of him to see them together. Mother's Day, had only been a week prior, had been the first time that Bria had called Brooke mommy. It had been few and far in between since then, but she had been slipping up more and more over the last week. Brooke was on cloud nine.

"Come here baby girl," Brooke says reaching out and taking the girl from him. She rests her on her hip as she places a kiss to the little girl's temple. "Why don't we go watch TV and let daddy finish cooking?"

Bria nods eagerly and Brooke turns to Jay. She gives him a sheepish look to which he playfully glares at her before sighing. "Go, I'll let you know when it's ready."

"Thank you baby," Brooke says reaching up and kissing him sweetly.

"Yeah, thank you daddy." Bria adds, causing the couple to pull away from one another. "You're the best."

"You're better kid." He chuckles, kissing her quickly before turning to the stove. Brooke and Bria make their way into the living room and plop down on the couch, watching a rerun of Zoey 101 that Brooke had saved for Lydia.

Twenty minutes into the episode Jay flips the stove off and turns to face the living room where his girls were curled up on the couch together. He smiles at the sight of them. "Ok dinner is ready."

Brooke sits up, patting Bria's leg signaling her to get up. The little girl reluctantly pushes herself off of Brooke and she stands up as well. "Hey Bria, why don't you head on out to the patio? Your dad and I will be out in a second."

"Ok," Bria nods her head and heads toward the door leading to the patio as Brooke makes her way to where Jay stood.

"Thanks babe," She says taking the stack of plates from him before leaning up and kissing him gently. He shoots her a wink, causing her heart to flutter and she quickly turns to follow after Bria so he doesn't see the blush she was sporting.

The chuckling she hears behind her as he carries their dinner out to the patio lets her know that he had indeed saw it.

"Where's Nadia?" Bria asks as she plops down her seat, before Jay pushes it closer to the table for her.

"I'm right here, baby girl!" Nadia exclaims walking up the stairs to join them on the patio. She lays her stuff on a nearby empty chair as Bria waves to her eagerly. She laughs and leans down planting a quick kiss to the little girl's crown as Jay and Brooke eye her curiously.

"Where you been?" Jay asks, taking his seat between Brooke and Bria. Nadia takes her seat on the other side of Bria and sends him a look. He raises an eyebrow at her in return while Brooke stays silent, watching the two of them.

"I was at the beach, just like I told you I was going to be, and just like I said in my note."

"That was hours ago!" Jay exclaims, turning to face Nadia. "You are in a new town that you don't know, with people –"

"Jay, I am twenty four years old, I can take care of myself!"

"Ok you two," Brooke says cutting in and giving them both a look. "We can have this discussion later. We're all tired and irritable after the flight. Let's just eat and relax for tonight, ok?"

Nadia nods while Jay clears his throat. "You're right, let's eat."

* * *

"Alright, we'll see you tomorrow." Brooke says into the phone, glancing up at the bedroom door as Jay walks in. He quietly shuts it behind him before making his way over to where she sat on the bed. "Bye Hales." Brooke pushes the end button and throws her phone to the side before glancing up at Jay who now stood in front of her.

"And who exactly is this we you were talking about?" Jay asks, reaching down and brushing a stray piece of hair out of her eyes.

Brooke bites her bottom lip as she glances up at him. "You, me, Bria and Nadia." She pushes herself off the bed and stands in front of him, slipping her arms around his waist. "Haley is dying to meet you so I told her we would go over there for dinner tomorrow."

Jay raises an eyebrow at her as his arms slip around her waist also. "Oh, this should be interesting."

"Don't worry Jay; she's going to love you. They all will." He stays silent, his eyebrow still rose. "It's just..." She trials off and he nods his head, knowing there would be a butt to it. "Jamie…. He's a little standoffish to the guys in my life ever since Julian pulled what he did."

"So this will be fun." Jay mumbles, his hand slipping to cup her hip.

"He'll come around babe," She says her hand snaking up to wrap around his neck. "He's just protective. He needs to see that you're serious. "

"And I'll do whatever it takes to make him see that." Jay promises before leaning down and capturing her lips with his.

* * *

"Alright guys, here we are." Brooke says putting her SUV in park after pulling in Nathan and Haley's driveway. She shuts the car off and climbs out of the car, everyone following her in suit.

Once Jay walks around the front of the car, he stands next to Nadia and lifts Bria to rest on his hip while Brooke stands in front of them, studying them. "Is everyone ready?" She asks, reaching up and brushing a piece of lint off of Jay's shoulder. She then brushes the curls out of Bria's eyes before turning to Nadia and checking her over.

Nadia turns to Jay with wide eyes as Brooke fixes the collar on her shirt.

"Brooke," Jay says reaching over and halting her hand. "Are you ok? You seem a little nervous."

"I'm fine." She mutters, looking up to him. "Just a little nervous. I just really want them to like you."

Jay chuckles, as he drops his hand from hers and slips it around her waist. He pulls her into him, with Bria still resting on his hip. "Shouldn't I be the one who is nervous here? I'm the one that has to make a good first impression or they'll hate me."

"They could never hate you," She mutters, reaching up so that her lips were inches from his. "You make me happy; they're going to love you."

Jay smiles, before leaning in and capturing her lips with his.

"Ok lovebirds," Nadia pipes in before they could get too carried away. "Don't forget about the kid in your arms there bud. You're scarring her for life."

Brooke and Jay pull back and he shoots Nadia a dirty look before following Brooke up the stairs to the front door. Bria rests her head on his shoulder and Nadia stands behind him while Brooke rings the doorbell.

Not a minute later, the front door swings open revealing a woman, who Jay assumed must be Haley. He watches as she reaches out and pulls Brooke in for a tight hug before her gaze moves to him. Her face lights up as she pulls away from the hug. "You must be Jay!" She exclaims reaching out and pulling him into a tight hug as well. "It's so nice to finally put a face to the name! I'm Haley."

"Nice to meet you Haley," Jay says as she pulls back and smiles to Bria and Nadia. "This is my daughter Bria, and my sister Nadia."

Jay glances and locks eyes with Nadia and she has to fight to not laugh. They were so in synch with their story it was scary.

"It's nice to meet you Nadia," Haley says pulling the younger girl into a hug. Nadia mutters a 'you too' before Haley pulls back and turns to Bria, who was still resting on her father. "And it's very nice to finally meet you! Brooke tells me all about you all the time!"

A hint of a smile appears on Bria's face, but she stays silent as she glances back and forth between Brooke and Haley.

"Come in guys," Haley says stepping back and opening the door further. Everyone files in the house and she shuts the door, just as a younger boy with blonde hair walks in the living room. "Jamie, there you are! Look who's here!"

Jamie moves to hug his aunt Brooke and Brooke smiles at her nephew before turning to Jay. She gives him a quick wink before glancing back at Jamie. "Jamie, I have someone very special I want you to meet. This is Jay, my boyfriend."

Jay offers a small smile and holds his hand out. "It's nice to finally meet you Jamie."

Jamie glances at Jay's hand before looking to him. He raises an eyebrow, ignoring the looks he was getting from his mother and his aunt. "Yeah, if anyone needs me, I'll be upstairs."

And with that, he turns around and walks out of the room, ignoring the fact that his mother was running after him yelling for him.

"Looks like I have my work cut out for me." Jay mumbles, earning a sad smile from Brooke.


	8. Chapter Six

"Jay, I apologize." Haley says making her way down the staircase and into the living room where everyone sat. Brooke sat on the couch, with Jay sitting next to her. Bria was resting in his lap, playing with the watch he wore. Nadia sat in a nearby chair. "We have raised Jamie better than that, he just gets very protective over his aunt Brooke."

Jay laughs as he readjusts them so that Bria was now resting in Brooke's lap, per Bria's request. "Haley, I get it, it's ok. From the stories I heard, I would have acted the same way Jamie did."

Haley watches with a smile on her face as Jay's hand comes to rest on Brooke's thigh. She glances up to him, her eyes full of love, as he smiles down at her. The smile he wore, said it all. He was crazy about her, and Haley's heart swelled. After everything Brooke had been through, Haley was so glad that Brooke had finally found someone to look at her that way again.

Brooke and Jay never break eye contact as he leans down and softly attaches his lips to hers. Her hand comes to rest on his jaw as she kisses him back, while her other arm stayed wrapped securely around Bria's tiny body in her lap.

"Oh god, you two are so precious." Haley squeals, causing the couple to pull away laughing.

"It is sickening, isn't it?" Nadia pipes in, for the first time since arriving, causing Haley to laugh more. Brooke bites her lip as she tries to hold in her laughter as well, and Jay turns his glare to Nadia.

"Ignore her," He mumbles, glancing back to Haley. She simply nods her head, while she and Brooke laugh. Nadia glares at him in return and Bria was now focused on playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Hales, where's Nate?" Brooke asks, glancing around the living room as if she had just noticed their absence.

"Oh he and Lydia had gone out for their weekly father daughter lunch. They should be back soon."

At the mention of the date, Bria's eyes widen and she whips around to face her father. "Daddy, we do that too!"

Everyone in the room laughs at the little girl's outburst, while Jay nods his head to his four year old. "That we do baby girl." He pats her knee lightly and she smiles up at him, before turning back around in Brooke's embrace.

"That's awesome!" Haley exclaims, shooting the little girl a wink. Bria cackles in response. "You must have a pretty awesome daddy." Haley's eyes travel from Bria, to Jay, and to Brooke. She was beaming up at him still. She had a good guy, and she knew it.

"He's ok." Bria deadpans, causing everyone to laugh once more, sans Jay.

He glances to his daughter, eyebrow rose. "Thanks munchkin,"

She simply smirks at him before turning her attention to the front door that had swung open and slammed against the wall.

A very excited Lydia comes running in and heads straight for Brooke. She throws her arms around Brooke's neck, hugging her tightly, ignoring the little girl between them who was no doubt being smashed in the commotion. "Aunt Brooke, you're home! I've missed you so much!"

"Easy on the house there trigger," Nathan scolds following his daughter in the house, shutting the door behind him. He doesn't bother scolding her more, knowing full well that she wasn't listening to him at the moment anyway. She had been on a rampage since the day Brooke had left for Chicago, missing her badly. It was all he and Haley had heard.

"I missed you too Lyd!" Brooke exclaims, hugging her niece tightly. When they pull away from their embrace, Lydia raises an eyebrow at the girl resting in Brooke's lap. She glances up at her aunt.

"Who is this?"

Brooke smiles. "Lydia do you remember when I told you about my boyfriend? That he lived in Chicago?"

Lydia nods her head eagerly, her eyes glued to her aunt Brooke. She had yet to notice the man sitting next to her. "Yeah, you said he was a cop and that he was really _really_ hot."

Brooke bites her bottom lip, as her cheeks flush red causing the adults in the room start to laugh. She feels Jay shaking beside her, as his laughter grows. She rolls her eyes before turning her attention to her niece once more. "Yeah, that is him Lyd. Now what did we say about telling everything we hear?"

Lydia just grins sheepishly.

"This is him Lyd," Brooke says motioning to Jay, who was now calmed down. "This is my boyfriend Jay."

Lydia's eyes fly from Brooke to Jay. She stays silent, studying him closely.

Jay can't help but chuckle. "Hi Lydia."

"Hi Jay." She responds, smiling. "Brooke was right, you _are_ hot."

"Well, thank you." Jay has to bite his tongue to keep from laughing unlike Haley and Nadia. Neither Nathan nor Brooke found the young girl's comments very funny.

"Lydia, while I have never been more proud of you, quit hitting on my boyfriend."

"Yes please," Nathan groans as he rests on the arm of the chair Haley was occupying. "I'm supposed to have another eight years at least."

"That's cute how you think you have another eight years." Haley says patting her husband's knee, earning a glare from him in return.

Lydia rolls her eyes as she turns her attention back to Brooke. "Now who is this?" She asks once again, looking to Bria who was sitting in Brooke's lap still.

"Oh right," Brooke says running her hand over Bria's hair. "This is Jay's daughter, Bria. Bria, this is my niece Lydia."

"Hi," Bria mumbles, her eyes slowly drifting up to meet Lydia's. Her usual shyness, which she had gotten from Allie, was shining through in that moment.

"Hi Bria," Lydia beams, smiling to the younger girl. "Do you like Barbie's?"

Bria's eyes light up and she nods. "Yeah!"

"I have a whole box full upstairs, want to go play?"

"Yeah!" Bria shouts, jumping off Brooke's lap and following Lydia toward the staircase. They stop only steps away from the bottom step when Haley yells out.

"We're fixing to eat; you guys can play afterwards ok?"

Lydia groans, but nods her head as she and Bria turn to make their way back to where everyone else was standing to make their way to the dining room.

"Your son was being his typical hateful teenager self to Jay and locked himself in his room." Haley says standing and turning to her husband. "Can you go take care of that and get him to come down to dinner?"

"Sure, no problem." Nathan says dropping a kiss to his wife's forehead before running up the stairs.

* * *

After much yelling, Nathan had somehow convinced Jamie to come down to dinner. Well, more like he had threatened him, grounded him, and taken everything away from him before forcing him to come down and have dinner with everyone.

Jamie sulked all through dinner, but managed a grumble or two when he was provoked by his parents and Brooke. When Jay had tried, he simply ignored him. Nathan would scold him, but it was still no use. He refused to look at, let alone talk to Jay.

Jay loved getting to know Nathan and Haley and hearing all their embarrassing stories on Brooke, but Jay had never been more relieved when dinner had ended. Jamie had excused himself to go work on homework. Bria and Lydia had gone to Lydia's room to play Barbie's, and in an attempt to make Nadia feel welcome, the women had gone into the kitchen to talk. That left just Jay and Nathan.

Jay now stood outside on Nathan and Haley's back deck, looking out among the lake that they lived on. It was nothing like one would see back in Chicago, but it was beautiful. After glancing at it, he wondered why he had always lived in the city, with all the crime and the dirtiness that came along with it. He wouldn't mind living somewhere like this.

He glances over his shoulder when he hears the door open to find Nathan stepping out, two beers in hand. Nathan holds one out and he accepts it, taking a long drink.

"Look I'm sorry about Jamie. He's being a little prick." Nathan starts, causing Jay to nearly choke on his beer. When he finally swallows, he laughs and Nathan smirks in return.

"No I get it, I do. Brooke told me the story behind her and Julian, and I'm glad she has someone looking out for her. Even if it is a fifteen year old."

"Yeah he has good intentions," Nathan says taking a drink of his own. "But he is taking it too far. I'm going to talk to him later about it. He's going to come around; he has no excuse not to." Jay just nods his head, opting to stay silent. "You're good for her."

This time, Jay's head turns in Nathan's direction. To say he was shocked was an understatement. The night before when Brooke had warned her about everyone, she had told him that Jamie and Nathan would be the hardest to win over. Jamie had always been protective over his aunt, but Nathan was much like a brother to her now days and he took that role very seriously.

Nathan laughs. "Yeah, I know that look. Brooke probably filled your head full of crap stories about me being the over protective brother right?"

"Yeah, basically." Jay chuckles.

"Well she's right to an extent, "Nathan moves to sit down in one of the many deck chairs, and Jay follows after him. "I mean she's had a rough life growing up; she didn't have very many people to look after her. We didn't really get to know each other all that well until tenth grade, but as soon as we met, we clicked. Every guy drooled over her, and you clearly understand why" Jay just nods his head, a small smile gracing his features as he thinks of his girl. "But it was never like that for me and her. She and I became pretty close but once Haley and I got married, she grew more and more to be like my little sister. She hates it majority of the time, but I only do it because I care about her and I don't want her to get hurt."

Jay nods his head as he studies the other man closely. He could easily see the love that he had for Brooke, and he was forever glad Brooke had someone as amazing in her life to look out for her. "And I'm forever thankful she has a friend like you in her life."

"Not as grateful as I am that she has you." Nathan returns, stunning Jay for the second time that night. "Look I'm not going to go too big brother, mostly because I know you're a cop and you could kick my ass." This earns a chuckle from Jay and Nathan smirks before continuing on. "But, Brooke really does mean the world to me. She is clearly crazy about you and she has let you in more than she does most guys, simply because she brought you to meet us. That says something for her. If she's willing to do that, it's because she sees something in you. Don't fuck it up, cause then you and I will have a problem. Got it?"

Jay nods his head understandingly. "Of course, but just so you know, I love Brooke so much more than I could prove to you or anyone. I haven't been this crazy about someone since my late wife, and I am very serious about her. She's the most amazing person I have ever met, and I intended to do anything I can to make her happy. I would never dream of hurting her."

Nathan smiles, reaching his hand out. Jay doesn't hesitate before he reaches out and shakes it. "I like you already man."


	9. Chapter Seven

**I do apologize for the long wait guys, but I made this chapter a bit longer to make up for it! Hope you all enjoy, and please, leaves me a review! (:**

* * *

"Good morning," Nadia says, stepping out on to the deck overlooking the beach. Jay turns from the water to glance over his shoulder at her. He offers her a small smile.

"Good morning."

"Where is everyone?" Nadia asks, sitting in the chair next to him. She rests her coffee cup on the arm of the chair and glances out to the water. She smiles at the peacefulness of the beach this early in the morning.

"They're both still sleeping away; I couldn't sleep so I thought I would come out here and get a little peace and quiet."

"Until I interrupted," Nadia laughs, earning a chuckle from Jay also.

"I'm glad you did, a little silence is good every now and then, but I can't take it too long." He mutters his eyes focused on the skyline in front of him.

Nadia nods knowingly as she reaches over and pats his arm. He doesn't move, and she takes that as her cue to continue. With his relationship with Brooke, and Bria and all her craziness, who knew when she would get another moment like this? She had to say what was on her mind. "You're so much more at peace here Jay," The tone of her voice causes him to turn and look at her. "I like this version of you; it's the old Jay that I knew. You're carefree, you laugh. You don't hate life here."

"I don't hate life back home," He sighs. "I'm just tired of seeing Allie, my mom and Antonio everywhere I look."

"I know you are," She mutters. "Being here with Brooke has been so good for you."

Jay nods his head, knowing she had an ulterior motive with this talk "What are you trying to say Nadia?"

She sighs, trying to find the best approach to what she needed to say. "All I'm saying is if you had the chance to be happy for the rest of your life, why wouldn't you take it? Going back to Chicago, your past is going to haunt you, but staying here in Tree Hill, it gives you a chance to start over. You can make amends with everything and finally be happy, with your daughter and the woman you love."

Taking her words to heart, Jay lets out a long heavy breath of hair. He knew she was right, she always was. Being here with Brooke in a town full of people who didn't know his every mistake was nice. It gave him a chance to breathe and enjoy his life. In Chicago, not only was he haunted by the faces of those who he loved and had lost, he was always looking over his shoulder. His job was a dangerous one, and with every person he pissed off on the job, he was always afraid they would retaliate by coming after Bria. Most called it paranoia, but he knew all too well the dangers of the city.

"What about you?"

Nadia laughs. "Jay, I appreciate everything you have done for me, I can never repay you for being there. Even after Allie died, you didn't have to keep me around but you did. You and Bria will always be my family, but it is time I learn to stand up and take care of myself without having you there to catch me if I fall. You've finally found someone who loves you and your daughter and takes care of you, you need to be with her and not worry about me."

"I'm always going to worry about you Nadia, you're like the annoying little sister that I thank God daily I never had." He informs the younger girl, smirking slightly.

Nadia shakes her head, laughing. "And you're the pain in the ass, protective older brother I never wanted but unfortunately are stuck with."

"Seriously Nads," Jay turns serious. "Why don't you stay here with us? It will break Bria's heart to lose you; you're all she has ever known."

Nadia smiles, partly because she loved that little girl so much, and partly because Jay was talking as if he was truly thinking of staying in Tree Hill. "Let's get you two moved in first, and then we'll worry about me."

A small smile creeps onto Jay's face as he reaches across the arm chair to hold a hand out to her. "Deal."

Nadia smirks triumphantly and shakes his hand.

Both turn to face the door as they hear it creak open. Jay's smile grows as he sees his girls coming out. Brooke was carrying Bria on her hip, the little girls face tucked into Brooke's neck. "Good morning."

"Morning," Brooke stops in front of Jay and leans down to kiss him. When they pull away, Bria reaches for her father and Jay reaches out to take her from Brooke's arms. He rests her on his lap and she buries her face in his neck right away. He smiles and places a kiss to her temple as Brooke takes the seat on the other side of him.

"What were you two talking about?" Brooke asks, relaxing back in her chair. She reaches over and takes Jay's coffee cup, sneaking a sip. He pretends not to notice as Nadia offers the two of them a sly smile.

"Just brother sister talk."

* * *

"Jay, we are going to be late if you don't hurry up and get out here!" Brooke exclaims, her hand resting on the doorknob. Nadia stood nearby, having been ready for the last thirty minutes. Brooke had instructed them that they were leaving twenty minutes ago.

"I'm trying here," Jay groans, walking into the living room with Bria hot on his tail. "Somebody has been around you too long and had to change five times!" He argues, nodding his head to his daughter. Brooke turns to Bria, who wore an innocent smile on her face. Both Brooke and Nadia laugh at the little girl, while Jay rolls his eyes. "Yeah, be the perfect angel for them, but Satan's spawn to your own father." He reaches down and scoops his daughter up in his arms, before resting her on his hip. "I love you too munchkin."

Bria smiles and reaches up to place a kiss to her father's cheek. "I do love you daddy."

"I know you do, princess." He says, squeezing her tightly as he follows Nadia out the door. Brooke followed after him, barking her orders as usual. By now, the group had become accustomed to it, and piles into her SUV.

Shortly after, Jay pulls the SUV into Nathan and Haley's driveway, putting it in park. Brooke reaches into the backseat, grabbing her bag and the present before climbing out of the car. Nadia climbs out from behind Brooke, while Jay unbuckles Bria from her seat.

Jay barely gets the door shut before Brooke walks around the car, and Bria reaches for her. Brooke smiles and exchanges Bria for the present she was holding before heading toward the door. Jay and Nadia follow after them, stepping right on into the house, as it was in full party mode already.

"There you guys are!" Jamie exclaims, pushing his way past all of his friends and heading straight for Brooke. He pulls her into a vice grip hug, squishing both her and Bria. "I thought you guys weren't going to show up!"

"And miss your sixteenth birthday?" Brooke exclaims, as Jamie pulls away from their hug. "No way!"

"Well I'm glad you're here, uncle Lucas couldn't make it again."

Brooke offers her nephew a sad smile. "I'm sorry buddy; you know how busy he is. Maybe he can come next year."

"Yeah maybe." Jamie trails off, and offers an hi to both Bria and Nadia, before turning to face Jay. He swallows hard, remembering the talk he and his father the week before. "Hi Jay," He mutters.

Jay smiles slightly. "Hey Jamie, happy birthday."

"Thanks," He mutters looking back to his aunt Brooke. "Alright, I'm going to go find Madison. Mom and dad are in the kitchen."

Brooke nods and watches as her nephew turn and run off. She turns to Jay, and raises an eyebrow at him.

He shrugs slightly. "Well we aren't going to be best friends any time soon, but he's trying so it is progress."

"And I'll take it." Brooke says, sending her boyfriend a wink. "I'm going to go find Haley." She carefully sits Bria down on the ground, and the little girl sprints off as soon as she spots Lydia across the house.

"Yeah, I'll go with you." Nadia says following after Brooke. Jay simply rolls his eyes and plops down in a nearby empty chair.

* * *

Ten minutes later Brooke and Nadia still hadn't returned. Guessing they had found Haley, Jay sighs and stands up, heading out back where he finds Nathan standing at the grill.

"Hey man," Nathan says glancing up to him. "Brooke leave you alone?"

Jay laughs as he walks over to him. "Yeah, we barely got through the door and she left me to fend for myself."

This time, Nathan laughs. "Yeah, that sounds like Brooke." The two new friends talk for a few minutes before Nathan shuts the lid to the grill. "I gotta run in and get the burgers, I'll be right back." Jay nods his head and Nathan turns to where Lydia and Bria were playing near the pool. A younger girl, about Jamie's age, who Jay remembered as Jamie's girlfriend Madison, stood near them.

"Hey Lyd, don't get too close to the pool ok? I'm heading inside for a minute."

"I've got her Mr. Scott," Madison informs him, and Nathan shoots her a grateful smile before heading in the house, once again leaving Jay alone.

He turns and props himself against the railing of the deck, and turns to watch Jamie and a group of his friends playing basketball. He was growing more and more impressed by the second as he watched Jamie, when a frantic yell brought him back to reality.

"JAMIE!" Both Jay and Jamie's heads whip around to Madison, who was in hysterics.

"What's wrong?" Jamie asks, running to his girlfriend. He tries to calm her down, but she was freaking out.

"Lydia, she –"At the mention of his little sister's name, Jamie frantically glances around looking for her, but not finding her. "She fell in."

Jamie's eyes widen as he turns to face the pool. Sure enough, there in the shallow end was Lydia, who was struggling to stay afloat, as she had not learned to swim without a float just yet. It was something Nathan and his self had been working with her on.

Having been watching the entire scene play out before him, Jay takes in Jamie's stance. The poor kid was frozen in fear and Jay knew he had to act fast. Without a second thought, he runs down the steps of the deck and over to the pool. He jumps in the shallow end, the water only coming to his hips, and he grabs the little girl.

Still very visibly upset, Madison was doing her best to consol a sobbing Bria. Jamie stood still, in shock, as his friends surrounded them and Jay pulled the little girl from the pool and onto the pavement next to it. "Come on Lydia," He mutters, shaking the little girl slightly. "Come on girl, breathe." He carefully but forcefully pats her back and soon enough, she begins to cough and pool water spews from her mouth. This only causes her to cough more, but Jay lets out a sigh of relief knowing she was ok.

"Oh my god Lydia!" Haley shouts, running out the door and toward them, with Nathan and Brooke right behind her. Brooke instantly goes to Madison and relieves her of Bria, resting her on her hip and calming her instantly. Haley scoops down and pulls Lydia in to her arms, checking her over. "Oh my baby, are you ok?" Lydia nods tiredly and Nathan takes a moment to scope his daughter out as well as Haley turns to Jay. "Oh Jay, thank you so much for saving my little girl."

"Don't thank me," Jay shakes his head, snaking his arm around Brooke who was now standing next to him. "I'm just glad she's ok."

"She is," Nathan says reaching out and holding a hand to him, much like he had the first night he had met him. "And that is all thanks to you man. Had you not thought so quickly, I shudder to think of how this might have turned out."

Jay just accepts the thanks and shakes Nathan's hand. He watches as Nathan grabs his little girl from his wife's grasps and hugs her tightly before heading in the house, Haley right behind him.

"You ok bud?" Brooke asks, turning to her nephew who was still silent as he watched them. He had unshed tears in his eyes and Brooke knew he was upset with himself.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Jamie clears his throat, walking toward Jay, who now rested his own daughter on his hip as he hugged her closely. "Thank you,"

Jay shakes his head. "Jamie, don't –"

"No," Jamie cuts him off, and both Brooke and Jay stay silent, allowing the kid to talk. "I know I haven't been very nice to you but that was only because I didn't want to see my aunt Brooke hurt again. I know it was stupid, but despite everyone telling me that you were really a good guy, I refused to accept it. I refused to like you. But after seeing what you just did for my sister, who you barely know, I know they were right and I've been wrong all this time. You're a good guy and you really do love my aunt Brooke, and she loves you. I haven't seen her smile so much in a long time and I'm glad she has you."

A bit taken back at the sudden change of heart, Jay stares at the younger man. "Thanks Jamie, knowing you are one of the most important men in Brooke's life, I really appreciate that."

Jamie smiles slightly, reaching his hand out to the older man. "Just take care of her, and you and I will get along just fine."

Jay chuckles, reaching out to shake the younger man's hand. "You got it bud."

* * *

An hour later, emotions had settled down and everyone had transitioned back into the party. Jay had been leant clothes from Nathan while his dried and Lydia had been changed into something warmer, and had attached herself to her father's side.

"Ok everyone," Nathan shouts over the group of rowdy teenagers. "Jamie, we need you out in the driveway."

Jamie shoots his friends a look before following his parents out the front door and into the driveway. His friends and family all follow after him. Jamie glances around the driveway, full of cars from the party goers and turns to his parents, pure heartbreak on his face. "What was this, a joke?"

Slipping his arm around Brooke's waist, Jay chuckles slightly as Haley rolls her eyes and Nathan scolds his son.

"Will you have some freaking patience? It is called a surprise for a reason."

This time, Jamie rolls his eyes. Nathan and Haley exchange a sly smile before Haley speaks up. "And speaking of surprises, here it comes!" She exclaims, pointing to a approaching car.

Instantly recognizing the car, Jamie's face lights up. He watches in amazement as the car comes to a stop in front of him, and a very familiar tall blonde climbs out of the front seat.

"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie exclaims running and hugging the older man tightly. "You made it!"

"Of course we did!" Lucas says hugging his nephew tightly.

"You didn't think we would miss your sixteenth birthday did you?" Peyton asks, walking around the car and shooting her nephew a wink as he moves to hug her as well.

"I'm so glad you guys are here!" Jamie exclaims, over the moon as he moves to hug his little cousin before turning back to look at his aunt and uncle. "How long are you guys here for?"

Lucas and Peyton exchange a smirk before he glances to his brother and best friend. "Well we were thinking about staying."

"Wait," Haley pipes in, her excitement bubbling at the thought of having two of her best friends around once more. "As in you're moving back to Tree Hill?"

Lucas laughs while Peyton's smile grows and she nods. "We're moving back to Tree Hill!"

"Oh my god!" Haley exclaims as she and Brooke rush to them both to hug them.

"P. Sawyer!" Brooke exclaims throwing her arms around her best friend and squeezing her tightly. "You don't know how long I have waited to hear those words!"

"Oh you have no idea how long I've waited to say them B. Davis!" Peyton exclaims, hugging her best friend back even tighter.

The small groups of friends bask in their happy moment, hugging each other and voicing how happy they were that Lucas and Peyton were finally moving home as Jay stood back and took in the scene. To see Brooke so happy, and with her friends brought a smile to his face. This was the side of Brooke he had longed to see.

Not willing to let his nephew get forgotten in that moment, Lucas speaks up. "Hey we can all be excited later; we still have one more surprise for Jamie!"

Jamie's eyes light up once more. "Really? What is it?"

Nathan and Lucas exchange a quick smirk before Lucas tosses something in Jamie's direction. With ease, Jamie catches it and glances down to his hand to see a pair of keys. He looks up to his uncle Lucas."Wait, what is this?"

"That J man, is the keys to your Uncle Keith's car, it belongs to you now."

"Seriously?" Jamie asks in surprise, barely masking his excitement. He turns to face his parents and with a smile, they both nod. "Yes!" He shouts, hugging them both before hugging his uncle Lucas.

"He wouldn't want anyone else to have it," Lucas informs his nephew as Jamie climbs in the driver's seat.

"Best birthday ever!"

* * *

"Alright Brooke, I want to meet this amazing guy that has you so over the moon," Peyton says, looping her arm through her best friends and walking toward the house. "Oh my god, is that him?" She asks, her eyes widening and Brooke nods subtly. "Damn, he's hot."

"I know," Brooke giggles, as Peyton shoots her a look letting her know she approved. The two approach Jay, who was leaning against the side of the house, with Bria on his hip. The events of the day were catching up with the four year old, and she quickly falling asleep in her father's arms. "Jay, I have someone I want you to meet." Brooke says and Jay turns to face his girlfriend. "Jay this is my very best friend Peyton, Peyton this is Jay."

"So nice to finally meet you," Peyton says reaching out and pulling him into a tight hug. "I've heard a million stories about how you make our girl very happy."

Jay smiles slightly as the petite blonde finally lets go of him. "It's nice to meet you too Peyton, I've heard many stories about you too."

"Oh god," Peyton laughs. "I'm sure they're embarrassing."

"Oh they were," Brooke laughs and Jay nods his head, attempting not to laugh.

"They weren't too bad."

"He's right," Brooke informs her best friend. "I have way worse dirt on you than I share."

"Oh lucky me," Peyton laughs, glancing over her shoulder. "Luke, come here!" She watches as Lucas pats Nathan's shoulder and moves to join them. "Lucas, this is the infamous Jay we have heard so much about."

"Oh yes, the cop." Lucas says reaching out and extending a hand to Jay. "Nice to finally meet the man crazy enough to get involved with this one." Lucas says, nodding his head to Brooke.

She shoots him a look, and smacks his shoulder, earning a laugh from the group.

* * *

"Well today was eventful," Brooke says walking out of her bathroom, rubbing lotion onto her arms as she makes her way toward her bed where Jay stood waiting for her.

"To say the least," He mumbles, reaching down and pulling the cover back for them.

Brooke avoids her side of the bed, but instead walks around to stand in front of him. She places her hand on his bare chest, halting his movements. "I'm serious, I'm glad you finally got to meet Peyton and Lucas. It is very important to me that you know my friends, but for you to meet Peyton was the most important thing to me. She is my very best friend and she has been for as long as I can remember. You guys are two of my favorite people on this earth."

Jay smiles, reaching down and slipping his arm around her waist, before pulling her into him. "I'm glad I got to meet her too. Seeing you with her, and all of your friends, seeing you so carefree for a few hours was nice. It is the side of you I've always wanted to see, and now that I have, I love you even more."

"Mmm," She mumbles, reaching up and crashing her lips to his. "I love you so much,"

"I love you more beautiful," He whispers, his lips still resting on hers. She smiles up to him and they share another kiss before he pulls away. "God I don't want to leave you tomorrow."

"Then don't," She mutters, tightening her grip around his waist. "Don't go back, stay here with me."

"Brooke-"

"Jay, I'm serious. You've said it yourself everywhere you look in Chicago you see Allie, or your mom or Antonio. You always have to look over your shoulder because you're afraid somebody you've pissed off is going to hurt you or Bria. You're miserable there, but here you've been a completely different person. You laugh here Jay, you smile. You're happy here, so stay here. With me, please. We can start our lives together, and for once be permentely happy."

Jay bites his lip as he debates everything she was saying to him. He wanted nothing more than to stay here, with her and to live the rest of his life this happy.

"Jay –"

"Ok," He mutters, and her eyes widen. "I'll stay."

"Really?" Brooke asks, barely masking her excitement. "You'll stay here with me?"

"There is nowhere else that I'd rather be." He mutters before leaning down and crashing his lips to hers.


	10. Chapter Eight

**Hey guys!**

 **I know it has been ages since I updated this story, and for that I apologize. School this semester was hectic, and I have one more hectic semester starting in January before I start my two year program in August. Then I'm DONE! Man, I can't wait for that day. lol But anyways, I hate that it has been so long since I've updated this story, and honestly the reason I didn't was just from lack of inspiration… and maybe slightly cause I'm sick of the snarky comments on this story. I'm pretty sure I know who you are, even though you wouldn't leave a name. But it's ok! Because I let that snarky comment keep me away from this story long enough! No more!**

 **I am on Christmas break from school, and other than work I don't have anything going on at least until January. So I hope to get more of this story, and my other, written and posted! I'm sorry this chapter is short, I just wanted to test the waters on this one, but I've got some more stuff planned out that I can't wait for you all to read!**

 **Alright, I'm done nagging cause I have to head to work, but Merry Christmas to each and every one of you! I love you all!**

* * *

"Ok, I just got off the phone with Haley. Nathan and Jamie should be here some time tomorrow night." Brooke starts upon Jay entering his living room. She was busy packing a box of his belongings and doesn't bother to look up at him. "Given it'll probably be late, we'll let them sleep and get started loading up the U-Haul and the cars that next morning then head out. If we leave out Thursday morning we can probably make it back to Tree Hill late that night or the wee hours of Friday morning."

"Sounds good." Jay groans, flopping down on the couch.

At the sound Brooke's head snaps up to face Jay. "Excuse me, what are you doing?"

Jay glances over his shoulder at her. "I'm resting."

"No no." She orders, abandoning her box and making her way over to him. Once she was standing in front of him, she holds out her hand to him. He eyes it carefully, not making a move to take it. "We have a lot to do before they get here! Jay we still have to pack up your entire apartment, talk to your landlord, you have to talk to Voight, and we have to rent a U-Haul. This is seriously going to take all day tomorrow so we have to get a jump start on this packing –"Brooke only stops mid rant when she notices the smirk on her boyfriend's face. "What?"

"You're hot when you're bossy." He says, his smirk growing, as he reaches out and finally takes her hand in his. He pulls her toward him, but she stands her ground fighting him. He knows he's won when he sees her trying to fight a smile as well.

"Jay quit, I'm serious." She says giving in and allowing him to pull her into his lap. "We have so much to do."

"Mmhm," He mutters, his lips going straight to her neck. Her eyes close as she fights to hang on to the last tiny strand of restraint she has. "We have plenty of time. Just give me ten minutes." She shakes her head no and Jay's lips move from her neck to her lips.

"What about Bria?" She mutters against his lips, feeling herself give in to him yet again.

"She's asleep." He assures her, his arm slipping around her waist to pull her as close to him as humanly possible. "Come on Brooke, five minutes."

Brooke lets out a giggle as his lips land once more on her neck and his hand tickles at her side. "Ok fine, five minutes!"

Jay shoots her a victorious smirk before flipping them over on the couch, earning a squeal from Brooke in the process.

* * *

"Halstead," Adam Ruzek calls, meeting Jay at the steps of the bullpen Jay was currently making his way up. "Good to see you back man!" He exclaims, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Yeah, thanks." Jay mutters, not yet wanting to say anything to Ruzek about him leaving the unit until he had talked to Voight.

"How you holding up?" Atwater asks, making his way over with Olinsky to greet Jay as well.

"Ya know, one day at a time right?" Jay asks, his eyes traveling to his partners now empty desk. The guys had spent that first day after Antonio's death packing it up, and Jay had made a point to swing by and check on Laura and kids before giving them his things.

"It's all you can do kid," Olinsky agrees, shooting Jay a small smile. "It'll get easier."

"Yeah, it will." Jay agrees nodding his head to the older man in thanks. "I'm going to go talk to Voight." The guys all nod and head back to their desks while Jay makes his way across the room that before the incident had been like his second home. Now… it felt like another world.

So much had changed in the nearly three weeks since Antonio had died, and seeing Roman at the desk across from his own, and Kim at the desk beside Atwater; he knew he was no longer needed there. It was time to move on and that was exactly what he was going to do.

"Come in Halstead," Jay hears Voight yell from inside his office before he could even knock. Jay takes a deep breath and glances back around the bullpen before pushing the door open and stepping into the office. "Take a seat Halstead, welcome back."

"Thanks Sarge," Jay mutters sitting down in the seat across from his boss.

Voight stays silent for a minute, leaning back in his chair as he studies the young man in front of him. "So something tells me you're not here to say you're ready to come back to work."

"Not exactly."

"Ok, so what are you doing here Jay?" Voight asks, straightening his posture in his chair at the conviction in Jay's voice.

"You know I love this unit, and everything it stands for. These guys are my family and I would not have made it through the last four years if it wasn't for you guys –"Jay trials off, and glances down to avoid eye contact with his boss. He would never let Voight see him cry so he takes a minute to compose himself before glancing back up at him. "You know Antonio was not just my partner, he was my best friend. I have seen many people die, and other than Allie or my mom, that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to experience. I thought some time off and some time out of Chicago would help. I thought I would be able to come back and everything would be fine, but it's not. Even against what Brooke thought, I came here today not knowing what I was going to say to you. I wanted to walk up those steps and see what I felt before I said anything, but it still suffocates me to look at his desk and know he's no longer here and there was nothing else I could do for him –"

"Halstead, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm not coming back to Intelligence."

Reluctantly, Voight nods reaching for an envelope on the corner of his desk. "I figured you would say that, which is why I've organized a transfer to –"

"No," Jay firmly says with a shake of the head. "I'm not coming back at all."

"Jay –"

"Sarge, I'm sorry but I can't do it anymore. Chicago holds too many painful memories for me. Anywhere I turn I see my mom, or Allie, or Antonio. I can't do it anymore. It's made me a miserable person, and not only is that not fair to me or Brooke, it's not fair to Bria. She's already lost her mother, she needs me. I have to do what is best for me and for her."

"And what is that exactly?"

"We're moving to Tree Hill, with Brooke. We can have a fresh start there and I feel like that is exactly what we need right now."

"I couldn't agree more." Voight mutters, fighting the tightening he felt in his chest. It was a rare thing for him, but he cared about Halstead and Bria both. Halstead was a good kid, and a damn good detective. He had never seen someone who drove himself into his work, was so focused on it, while taking such good care of his daughter. And Bria, he had grown very fond of her. Having been around her entire life, he viewed her as the granddaughter he figured he would never have. He knew it would be hard not having them around, but he knew Jay was right. They both needed this. They needed a fresh start, with Brooke. Jay deserved to be happy again, and Bria, she deserved to have a mother. "I hate to see you go, and I know I'm never going to find anyone to fill the void but I wish you all the happiness in the world Jay. You deserve it." He moves to stand up, and Jay follows after him. "But if things don't work out, you know as long as I'm running Intelligence, you have a spot."

"Thanks Sarge," Jay says reaching out and shaking the older man's hand.


	11. Chapter Nine

**Hey guys! So I know, I suck. I'm sorry I've made you wait this long for this update. I've been working a lot, and I just found out I got into the Respiratory Program and I start in August (yay!) so I've been kinda busy. And I also had writers block... but I think I'm over it. At least, I hope.**

 **And I just wanted to take a second to thank each and everyone of you for your patience and encouraging words! To have everyone behind me the last year has meant the world to me. So this is for you guys!**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

"Bria, honey. It's time to wake up."

"Five more minutes mommy." A very groggy Bria groans before turning to face away from Brooke. Brooke laughs slightly before reaching to shake her once more.

"Come on pretty girl. It's moving day. We got to get going." At that, Bria's eyes shoot open and she sits up in bed. She doesn't argue with Brooke, but rather allows her to help her pick out her outfit and fix her hair before she runs down the hall to the kitchen.

Nathan and Jamie sat at the breakfast nook, Nathan nursing a cup of coffee while Jamie was still half asleep.

"About time you got up." Brooke says shooting her nephew a wink before moving to fix herself a cup of coffee and Bria a glass of milk.

"Barely managed it. Don't worry; he'll be back asleep before we leave the city." Nathan rolls his eyes earning a glare from Jamie, and a laugh from Brooke.

"Where's daddy?" Bria asks, climbing up in the barstool next to Nathan. She takes a drink of her milk that Brooke had just sat in front of her.

"I'm right here gorgeous girl, I went to get breakfast" Jay says walking into the kitchen from the hallway, carrying a box of donuts. "And look who I found in the hallway." He says nodding over his shoulder, to Nadia who was following him.

"Nadia!" Bria exclaims jumping out of her seat and running to the young girl. Nadia gladly lifts her to rest on her hip, hugging her tightly. "Are you going with us?"

Nadia smiles sadly before planting a kiss to the little girl's cheek. "I wish Briabug, but I have to stay here."

"But –" Her tiny voice cracks.

"Come on little lady, don't be sad. You're going to have your daddy and your Brookie. You won't even notice I'm gone." Bria opts to stay silent; tears filling her eyes. She turns her attention to the necklace Nadia was wearing.

"You know that's not true." Jay says, a tad sternly. Nadia just offers him a sad smile before placing Bria back in her seat. The group grows silent and Jay clears his throat. "Everyone eat up, we got a busy day ahead of us."

"Alright man, I think that's it." Nathan says slamming the door of the U-Haul before turning to face Jay.

Jay lets his hands come to rest on his sides and he nods, taking one last look around. His truck was loaded down with boxes, as well as the U-haul trailer he was set to pull. Nathan's truck was parked behind, loaded down with more of his and Bria's belongings. "God I didn't know I had so much crap."

Nathan chuckles, patting Jay on the back before walking over to his truck to join Jamie.

"You guys ready to go?" Brooke asks, walking out of the apartment building where she had just handed Jay's keys over to his landlord. Nadia followed behind her, a crying Bria resting on her hip.

"I believe so." He says walking over to where Nadia stood. He runs his hand over Bria's back, and she clings on tighter to Nadia's shirt. Nadia's eyes were tearing up, but he knew she wasn't about to cry in front of him and Bria and make matters worse. "You ok?"

She nods. "Yeah, I'm just going to miss you guys."

"And we're going to miss you." He assures her and Bria nods her head, from where she had it buried in Nadia's neck. "You know you always have a home wherever I am, right?"

"I know." She says offering him a smile. "Thank you. I'm going to say goodbye and buckle her in."

Jay nods and steps back, allowing Nadia and Bria the time they needed. Brooke makes her way around the truck to stand next to him. They slip their arms around each other and watch in silence as Bria and Nadia say their tearful goodbyes.

"I love you so much baby girl." Nadia says fastening the last buckle on her car seat before leaning down and planting a kiss on the little girls' forehead. "You be good for your daddy and Brooke ok?" Bria just nods, tears streaming down her face. "I promise you can call me anytime you want ok? And I'll come visit soon. I love you."

"I love you more." Bria sniffles, giving her one last hug before Nadia shuts the door and turns to Jay and Brooke.

She reaches for Jay next, squeezing him tightly. "Thank you for everything you've done for me." She cuts him off before he has a chance to say anything. "And I know, I don't have to thank you, but I want to. Seriously, you and that little girl mean the world to me. It means so much that you took me in and let me be a part of your lives even after Allie died. I don't know what I'm going to do without you guys, but I'm so thankful I've had this time with you both. You truly are the older brother I never had and I love you guys."

"And you're the little sister I never had." He says, squeezing her back just as hard. "We're going to miss you." They both pull away from the hug and by now, Nadia had long given up her act of staying strong. She was now a crying mess, just as Brooke was watching the exchange. "You're sure you don't want to come? We have plenty of room –"  
"Jay – it's time you quit worrying about me. I'm going to be fine."

"I'm always gonna worry about you."

"I know," She says, smiling slightly. "But quit. Go be with the woman you love, with your perfect daughter and be happy damn it."

At that, Jay just chuckles and Nadia shoots him a smirk before turning to Brooke. She pulls her into a tight hug as well. "Promise me something," She whispers, just only loud enough for Brooke to hear. Jay had already moved to the truck to talk to Nathan about their route.

"Anything," Brooke says squeezing the young girl. In the short amount of time she had known her, she had really grown on her. And all she had done for Jay and Bria, she knew she owed this girl so much more than the young girl knew.

"Take care of them for me."

"Always sweetie, always."

"Alright, we better get going." Jay says walking back over to his girlfriend and sister. "We have a quick stop to make on our way out of town." He glances over his shoulder to Nathan. "It won't take long, I promise."

"That's fine," Nathan says waving him off as Jamie crawls into the truck. "We'll be right behind ya."

Jay nods while Brooke moves into the passenger seat of Jay's truck. Jay makes sure to pull Nadia into one last hug before climbing in the driver's seat and starting the SUV. "Alright guys, here we go." He shoots a wink to Brooke who just smiles in return before glancing into the rearview mirror to look at his daughter. Her puffy eyes were just slipping closed, earning another smile from Jay.

Anything his little girl did melted his heart.

"Ok, I'll just be a minute." Jay says putting the truck into park and looking at Brooke. She glances up from her phone, where she was reading over the directions to look up at the cemetery he had brought them to. She quickly finds the headstone that reads DAWSON and offers Jay a sad smile.

"Take your time," She says reaching for the door handle. "I'm gonna go back and show Nate which interstates we're taking while you do what you gotta do. She's fast asleep but I'll hurry back to check on her."

"Thanks babe," He says leaning over the console and kissing her sweetly before reaching for his own door handle. He steps out of the truck and makes his way to where his best friend lay. He takes a look at the headstone and draws in a deep shaky breath before glancing over his shoulder. He sees Brooke standing next to Nathan's truck, which was parked behind his own.

When he turns back around to face his friend's headstone, he nearly jumps out of his skin at the sudden presence standing in front of him. "Oh good god, you scared the hell out of me."

Laura lets out a laugh, a real true laugh for the first time since her husband had died. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I was just making my back to my car to head home but I wanted to check on you." Jay nods. "How are you holding up?"

Once again, Jay nods. "I'm doing ok. How are you?"

"One day at a time." She says, offering him a sad smile. "All you can do right?"

"Yeah, yeah it is."

"So, I hear you guys are moving." Laura says, her eyes glued to her husband's headstone. A fresh layer of tears stung her eyes.

"Yeah, we are –"

"I'm happy for you."

Jay turns to look at her in disbelief. "What?"

"I'm glad you're finally getting away from this place. You've had so much loss in this city, it's only fair you get to start over and be happy. And Antonio would be so happy that you are getting out of here too. He told me daily how much this girl changed you, for the better. He was happy that his best friend was happy. And if he were here, he would want nothing more than for you to get away from here and go be with the girl you love."

Jay turns from her to his best friend's headstone once more. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the name engraved on the marble and his eyes began to sting with tears. "He was an amazing guy. And I was truly lucky to have him as my best friend. I didn't tell him enough, but I loved him like he was my big brother."

"He knew," Laura mutters, resting her hand on his shoulder. Jay doesn't budge. "And he loved you too."

Letting out a heavy sigh, Jay reaches up to brush away the few tears that had betrayed him. "Come here," He says reaching for Laura. She smiles slightly hugging Jay back just as tight as he was her.

"I know you got to get going, so I'm just going to say, I expect an invitation."

Jay can't help but laugh as they pull away. "Invitation? For what?"

Laura raises an eyebrow at Jay's confusion. "According to Antonio, she's the one for you. And I've personally seen how you look at her. I give you six months until you have her walking down the aisle. I want an invitation."

Jay glances over his shoulder to where Brooke was standing next to his truck, patiently waiting on him. She blows him a kiss when she notices he was staring at her and he offers her a smile in return before he turns back to Laura. "You're right. She is it. I just don't know when we'll get there, but when we do, you'll be there."

"Good. Now go, and be careful. I'll see you around."

"Take care, I'll check in on you guys when I can."

"I know you will. We'll be waiting."

Jay offers her a smile, and leans in for one more quick hug before turning and making his way back to Brooke. She smiles at him as he approaches her. "You ok?"

Jay smiles, nodding his head. "I'm perfect." He leans down planting a kiss to her lips. "Let's head out."

"There you guys are!" Peyton exclaims, jumping up from the couch. She throws the magazine she had been reading onto the coffee table and makes her way over to the front door to greet her best friend. Haley comes from the kitchen to do the same.

"We were starting to think you guys got lost!" She says pulling away from Brooke and Jay, and moving to hug her son and kiss her husband.

"Yeah well, traveling with a four year old isn't the easiest of tasks." Jay chuckles, earning a glare from his daughter.

"Not that I don't love you guys," Brooke starts, turning to face her two best friends. "But what are you doing here?"

"We came to help you unload all your boxes. Luke's at practice, but we can hold our own. Right Hales?" Peyton asks turning from Brooke to Haley, who had her arm wrapped around Nate's waste.

"Damn straight. Come on, let's get started." She says heading for the door. Peyton, Jamie, and Nathan all follow her leaving Brooke, Jay and Bria standing in the living room.

Brooke just laughs as she turns to Jay, wrapping her arms around his middle. One of his hands rests on her hip, while the other reaches down to push a strand of her curly hair out of her face. "This is going to be your life, dealing with these crazy people. Are you sure you still want to be with me?"

"More than anything," he mutters before leaning down and kissing her slightly.

"Oh get a room." Nathan groans, rejoining them box in hand. Jamie was right behind him and grimaces, flopping his box down and heading back outside.

"Get used to it!" Brooke yells after them, earning a chuckle from Jay before he leans down and kisses her once more.

Three hours later, the group had made good progress unloading Jay's truck, as well as Nathan's and the U-haul. They were now working on sorting through the boxes and where they would go. Lucas had long gotten out of practice and joined the group, bringing pizza.

"Who in the hell can that be?" Brooke asks glancing around the room and taking a silent total of people in the house. "We're all here." She mutters making her way to the front door, where the doorbell had just sounded. She yanks the door open and a huge smile spreads across her face. "Oh my god. Jay! Come here."

"What?" He asks rounding the corner. "Who is it?"

"NADIA!" A very excited Bria exclaims jumping up from her place at the coffee table, where she was coloring with Lydia. She takes off in a sprint and crashes into Nadia full force, nearly knocking her over.

"Hey ladybug!" Nadia hugs the little girl tightly.

"What are you doing here?" Jay asks, slipping his arm around Brooke as they both stand in the doorway with Nadia, who now had Bria attached to her hip. He looks behind her and takes in her suitcases, and can't help but smile.

"It took me all of 3 seconds after you left to realize I wanted to be with my family. You three are all I have now."

"Well welcome home, sweet girl." Brooke says reaching forward and pulling her into her arms for a hug. Jay wraps his arms around the both of them and squeezes all three of them tightly.

They weren't your typical family, but that was exactly what they were. And Jay couldn't be more happy with it.


	12. EPILOGUE Part One

**Alright guys, I know I said I would have more to this story… the only problem is that I've lost inspiration for this story. I've tried to work on it, while I was finishing up I got the boy… with no luck. And looking back, I believe that it was in a good place to do a small time jump, and wrap it up a bit.**

 **So therefore, I present to you the epilogue to this wonderful story. I got so wrapped up in trying to make it so perfect and giving you all the answers that you deserved that I wrote too much. SO it will be in two parts. So here's the first, and I will post the second (and final) part in a few days.**

 **Again, I loved this universe. And I loved this concept… so I'm so sad to have to say goodbye to it, but I can't continue it on and drag you on forever if I have no inspiration… so having said that, if any time in the future I have an idea, I will more than likely write a few one shots in this universe and post them. Such as a lot of other writers have done, except it would be in the same world as this.**

 **Either way, for now, this is the end to this story. I thank you all for the support and kind words on this story. I wasn't sure how well anyone would take to it due to the crossover, but you all welcomed it with open arms and that means so much to me.**

 **Enjoy PD, I'm watching now ;)**

* * *

 **FOUR YEARS LATER**

"I'm coming, CHILL." Jay groans, heading throughout the house, and to the front door. He manages to maneuver past all the shoes and toys, before yanking open the front door. His grimace is replaced with a gigantic smile, as he laughs genuinely. "Ah man, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Are you kidding?" Adam asks, hugging his friend quickly. "Dude you invited us!" Adam chuckles stepping inside, looking around the beach house, as Jay moves to greet Kevin and Kim who were standing behind him.

"Well I wanted you guys here, but I didn't think Voight would let his entire team off." Jay laughs, hugging Kim before she follows her fiancé and friend inside the house.

"Well you didn't think we'd miss your big day, huh Halstead?" Hank asks, stepping around the corner, catching Jay completely off guard. He had been parking the car, since he did not in the least trust Ruzek to drive.

Jay's smile grew as he saw his former boss, the man who had helped him through so much and meant a great deal to him, step inside the door. "Wow, I really didn't expect to see you. How will Chicago survive without you?"

"It won't. I'll be headed back to a mess and I'll have to clean it up as usual." Hank chuckles, glancing around the house. "Where's my girl?"

"BRIA!" Jay shouts, resting his hand on the staircase and yelling up to his daughter.

"WHAT?" She yells back, but doesn't surface. Jay rolls his eyes. His little girl wasn't such a little girl anymore. She was 9, going on 10, and already had the mood of a teenager. He dreaded the day she actually became one, because he knew that he and Brooke were in for pure hell.

"What did I say about that?" He yells back after her, causing everyone to laugh. He gives them all a look. "Get down here!"

The five of them hear a groan and footsteps approaching. Bria appears at the top of the staircase, just about to argue with her father, when her face lights up. She flies down the stairs and into Hank's arms. "Grandpa!"

"There's my favorite girl!" Hank mutters, squeezing the young girl tight and placing a kiss to the crown of her hair. "God I've missed you so much. Look how much you've grown." You could hear the sentiment in his voice, and Jay felt terrible. It wasn't often that Hank showed that side of him, but since the day he had met Bria, when she was only a few hours old, he had a soft spot for the little girl.

Jay and Brooke had made sure to return to Chicago with Bria many times over the last four years, but it was still a hard adjustment for both Bria and Hank. She was all Hank had left after his son Justin had died. His wife Olive had moved his only grandson hundreds of miles away and he never saw him.

"Uh what about us Little Halstead?" Adam asks, extending his arms and shooting his niece a look. This in turn, causes Bria to roll her eyes before laughing.

"Sorry Uncle Adam," She says moving to hug him. He smiles and wraps his arms around the little girl. "And you know I hate when you call me that."

"That's why he keeps doing it," Kim informs her, while hugging Bria tightly. Bria giggles.

"So where's the wife to be?" Kevin asks, following Jay and sitting down. He sits in the chair off to the side while Adam and Kim take the small love seat. Bria sits on the couch in between her dad and her grandpa.

"She's working at her shop. Trying to get everything ready to take a couple days off after the wedding."

"She doesn't have someone to take care of it for her?" Kim asks. "That must be a lot of work."

"No she does." Jay smiles. "Nadia is the store manager and she runs the day to day stuff. And she's gonna watch the store and the kids while we're gone, but Brooke's just trying to make sure she doesn't get left with a whole work load."

"How's she doing? I haven't heard from her in while." Kim asks, once more. She and Nadia were never best friends when Nadia was still in Chicago, but being the only girls Voight trusted to work in his unit, they had become somewhat of friends. Of course living so far apart, the two didn't get to talk as much as they liked.

"She's doing well. She stays busy but she loves it here." Jay says, smiling thinking of what a better life the girl he considered a little sister was living here. She had lived with him and Brooke for about a year after she followed them to Tree Hill. Her room was upstairs across from Bria's and the young girl had been ecstatic. She had taken her time, going to work for Brooke and getting herself settled before she had found a house of her own. She worked hard, and she was able to buy it all the while falling crazy in love with her boyfriend Chase. The two were now living together and Jay knew it was only a matter of time.

"What about you man?" Adam asks. "What's your job like?" He asks, referring to the detective job Jay had landed when he first moved to town.

"It's different," Jay chuckles. "Not as busy or crazy, but I like it. It allows me to be home with my girl and my kids, so that's all that matters."

"It sounds like you've really made a good life for you, Halstead." Hank smiles, clapping him on the shoulder. He missed him, and he really missed him on his team, but he was genuinely happy for Jay. He had finally got the life he deserved after Allie had been so suddenly ripped from him.

"Daddyyy" The group whips around to face the kitchen, where a little girl with Jay's curly hair – the color of Brooke's - was making her way into the living room. The small girl was rubbing her eyes, having just woken up from her nap.

"Hey Elizabeth," Jay smiles, reaching over and pulling his three year old daughter into his lap. "You have a good nap?" He asks, pushing the curls out of her face.

The little girl nods, tiredly before glancing around the room with wide eyes. She didn't know anyone. The first couple times Jay and Brooke had traveled to Chicago with Elizabeth, and her twin brother Ethan, they were still tiny babies so they didn't remember it. The last time Jay had taken Bria to Chicago to visit, the twins were sick so Brooke stayed home with them.

"She's gotten big," Adam smiles, glancing to his friend. Jay smiles before leaning down and kissing his youngest daughter's head.

"They all have," Jay mutters glancing from Elizabeth to Bria, and thinking of Ethan. "It's unreal how fast they grow man."

"That it is," Hank says giving Bria yet another squeeze. She smiles, leaning back into her grandpa's embrace.

* * *

"Hey baby, we're home." Brooke says walking through the front door. She sits her bag down on the small table as her three year old son flies past her and further into the house. She laughs, and shuts the door behind her before headed toward where her fiancé sat at the counter. His face was buried in a file, and his computer, as he worked.

Ethan had now joined Elizabeth where she sat at the coffee table coloring, and was playing with his toy dinosaurs. Bria was nowhere in sight, so she assumed she was upstairs.

"Baby," Brooke says once more, placing her hand on Jay's shoulder. She leans over and kisses his cheek, finally earning his attention.

"Hey you," He says tearing his eyes away from the file he had been studying. He offers her a smile as his hand wraps around her waist, and pulls her into him. "Get everything squared away?"

"Sure did." She says smiling down at him. She runs her hand through his thick head of hair before placing it on his shoulder once more. "We didn't get to a few things but it's nothing Nadia can't handle. What about you? Are you about ready?" She asks, referring to his load of work he was going to be leaving behind. Their wedding was two days away, and they were leaving that night for a weeklong honeymoon.

"Just about – give me a few more hours and I'll be set."

"You don't have a few more hours, Jay. The rehearsal dinner is in three hours."

"I know," He assures her. He sits back, showing her he was already dressed in the black pants and the light blue button up shirt she had planned for him to wear tonight, so that he was matching her light blue strapless dress. "Elizabeth is ready, Bria is upstairs getting ready. I'll get Ethan dressed, and then finish this before we leave. You just worry about taking your time and doing what you need to do to get ready, okay?"

"You're amazing."

"Duh," He smirks, causing her to laugh. She leans down, kissing him before starting toward their bedroom.

"Wait, your friends. Did they get in?" She asks, turning around to face her soon to be husband who was standing in their twin's bedroom door. Ethan had already set down his toys and was walking into the bedroom, per his father's request so he could dress him for their night. Elizabeth still sat quietly at the table, drawing.

Jay nods, smiling. He had spent the better part of the morning visiting with everybody before they headed to the hotel to get ready. "They did, and they're back at their hotel. Nadia is going to meet them and show them the way to the beach."

Brooke nods, and smiles before turning and heading into the bedroom to take a nice hot bath.

"Alright buddy," Jay says walking into the bedroom to find Ethan sitting on his bed, playing with more of his toys. "Time to get ready,"

"No daddy," the little boys argues, "I play."

Jay chuckles. "You can play after we get dressed okay?" Jay reasons, sitting down on Elizabeth's toddler bed across from him.

Ethan glances from his toys to his father before sighing. He was only three years old, but he had just as much attitude, if not more thanks to his mother, that Bria had at his age. It was tiring. "Okay."

"Okay." Jay chuckles once more, reaching over and pulling his son toward him. Despite the groan he got in return, he pulls the t shirt over his little head and reaches over for the dress shirt that Brooke had chosen for him.

* * *

"Dude, I have to say I never thought I would see the day you would be getting married on a beach." Adam chuckles, walking up to his friend. He claps him on the shoulder as Jay laughs as well.

"Tell me about it," Jay says, shaking his head. "But hey, whatever makes her happy, right?"

Adam follows Jay's line of vision, to Brooke. Who was standing off further down the beach talking to the minister.

She looked amazing in her light blue dress, falling just below the knee. Her dark curly hair blew in the wind, and she was glowing. The longer Jay watched her, the more his smile grew. And Adam's. It had been a while since he had seen his friend so happy, and even though he enjoyed giving him crap about it, he was happy for him.

"She's so calm," Haley says walking up to Jay and Adam. "It's so not like her. Especially today of all days," Jay laughs, nodding his head in agreement. "I'm Haley – Brooke's best friend."

"Adam" He says holding out his hand to shake hers. "Jay's best friend."

"Sometimes," Jay corrects Adam, earning a dirty look from his friend and a laugh from Haley.

"THERE YOU GUYS ARE!" Brooke exclaims, in true over dramatic Brooke fashion. She walks over to the group. "We have got to get started before we lose the light!" She exclaims, referring to the orange sun, which would be setting within the hour.

"Brooke, we've all been right here all along." Haley says offering her best friend a smile. Adam chuckles stopping only when Brooke offers him a dirty look. She then offers Haley the same fate.

"Are you trying to stress me out?"

"Babe," Jay says stepping forward, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into him. "We have plenty of time. We've ran through it twice and you wanted one more time. We have plenty of time til the sun goes down and before our dinner starts."

Brooke nods and takes a few calming deep breaths, per the request of Jay as he holds her closely. "I'm sorry, I'm a mess. I just want this to be perfect and we don't have much time."

"I know," He smiles, reaching down to push a curl out of her face. Due to the strong wind, it blows right back in her face and they both laugh. "You have every right to be a little high strung right now, but everything is going to perfect. I just wish you wouldn't worry so much."

"Jay, you should know by now I never fully calm down."

Jay laughs. "Oh that I know, Brooke Davis. But it's one of the many qualities I love most about you." He says leaning down to kiss her.

By the time the two pull away from the kiss, Brooke was now calm and had forgotten all about her many worries. She smiles up at the man she was going to marry in just a few days and just takes in his every little feature. She had no idea how she had landed such an amazing man. Lord knows she had her fair share of bad relationships, but this one… she couldn't imagine her life without him by her side, or their amazing children.

"What are you looking at, you goof?" He asks, once he realizes that she was studying him.

"Oh nothing." She assures him. He doesn't quite bye it, but he doesn't push her. "Come on, let's get this started." She says intertwining her fingers with his, and pulling him toward where their set up, and the minister were waiting on them. "Where's Peyton?" She asks, glancing around, looking for her best friend and maid of honor.

"Right here!" Peyton exclaims, making her way toward them with Elizabeth on her hip. "Somebody had to potty, but all is well." She says sitting Elizabeth down on the ground next to Nadia, where Ethan sat.

"Alright, let's go." Brooke says making her way to the back with Peyton and Haley, who was serving as her bridesmaid.

"Wait for me!" A very eager Bria shouts, running after them. She was serving as Brooke's other bridesmaid. She was fastly approaching her teenage years, and she without a doubt already had the attitude down, but she was so over the moon when Brooke asked her to stand with her during the wedding. Brooke had been around for so long, while she knew the story of how her birth mother died, Brooke was the only mom she knew. She was crazy about her, and she was so glad that after this wedding, she would finally legally be her mother. Brooke had filed for adoption the week prior to make it official.

"I couldn't forget my favorite girl," Brooke stops halfway up the aisle, as Haley and Peyton continue to the back. She turns and watches as her daughter ran to her. She slips her arm around her shoulders and hugs her as they make their way to join the others. "God, I love you baby."

"I love you too mom," Bria says hugging her tightly before moving to stand in her spot. Brooke stops, watching her, and feels her heart swell with pride. Though Bria had been calling her mom for quite some time, it still melted her heart each time.

Knowing full well what she was thinking, Haley meets eyes with Brooke. She offers her a warm smile and a wink before turning to Bria and whispering something in her ear.

"Are you ready or not?" Jay yells after them, from where he stands at the 'alter' with Adam who was his best man, and Kevin and Nathan who were his groomsmen.

"Oh hold on, you'll get to marry me in a minute!" Brooke yells back, earning a laugh from everyone. She turns around making sure once more that everyone was in order, before giving Lucas the okay to start the music.


	13. EPILOGUE Part Two - Final

**Okay guys, here it is. The very last part of this story. It's a kinda emotional chapter, for me at least. But it includes what I think we all wanted to see in this story.**

 **Either way, I hope you enjoy this last bit. Tell me what you think. Thank you all for everything. All the readers, the support - it's all meant the world to me.**

 **Without further ado, here we go.**

* * *

"Brooke, it is only seven am. What the hell are you doing?" Haley asks, sitting up in the bed. She was currently staying in the guest room at Brooke's place after their "girl's night" the night before. Peyton had slept downstairs in Brooke's bed with her, while Elizabeth and Bria took their own rooms. Jay and Ethan had stayed in a hotel room, just down the hall from Jay's friends.

"Seriously," A half asleep Peyton grumbles, plopping down on the bed next to Haley. Brooke had awakened her and had basically dragged her up the stairs, much to Peyton's disapproval.

But Brooke, she was wide awake, and in a frenzy. "I don't care!" She exclaims, rushing to the window. She yanks the curtain open, and both Haley and Peyton groan as the light blinds them in the otherwise dark room. "Look at this! I can't get married on a beach when it's RAINING!"

"Brooke, calm down." Peyton mumbles. She slowly rolls her head to face Brooke, where she had previously buried it into a pillow. "Like she said, it's only seven am. We have plenty of time until the wedding, it will clear up."

"You don't know that!" Brooke exclaims, fully stressed, before stomping out of the room and down the hall toward the stairs.

"Whoa, where are you going in such a hurry?" Nadia asks, as she was just walking in the front door. Since she had moved out, both Brooke and Jay insisted she keep her copy of the key. It came in handy on days such as today when she was coming to help everyone get ready for the wedding.

"No time to talk," Brooke shrieks heading to the counter where her phone lay. "We have a major situation!"

"What did I miss?" Nadia asks laying a still sleeping Ethan on the couch. She looks up at Peyton and Brooke who were coming down the stairs, half asleep, after their best friend.

"It's raining," Haley mutters, with an eye roll before headed toward the coffee pot and pouring herself and Peyton both a cup. Clearly Brooke had been up a while since there was a pot already made.

"No joke," Nadia mutters, sitting in the other chair next to Peyton.

"Marry me, Haley Scott," Peyton mutters, taking the cup from Haley and taking a giant gulp of the coffee. Both Haley and Nadia laugh. Brooke, whips around glaring at all them, her phone attached to ear.

"Hello?"

Hearing his husky voice on the other side of the line automatically calmed Brooke. She closes her eyes, and takes in a deep breath trying to remain calm. "Baby, we have a problem."

"I know," He sighs, glancing to the sky from where he stood on the beach. The same beach, that in just eight hours he was supposed to be marrying the girl of his dreams.

"Jay, what are we going to do?"

Jay grimaces slightly at the tone in his fiancé's voice. "We're not going to do anything. I have it under control. You are going to relax and get ready and show up and everything will be perfect."

"What are you –"

"Brooke. I love you. But please just let me worry about this and you relax and get ready okay? I'll see you this afternoon, looking gorgeous like you always do. When you arrive everything will be perfect and I'll be waiting at the altar okay?"

"You're amazing."

"And don't you forget it."

This causes Brooke to laugh, genuinely for the first time all morning. "I love you, you goof."

"I love you more, beautiful. I'll see you later." And with that, he hung up the phone to figure out how to salvage the day. Meanwhile, Brooke was a totally different person as she rejoined her friends.

"Damn that's amazing." Nadia mutters, taking a drink of the cup of coffee she had now prepared for herself.

"What is?" Brooke asks, confused.

"That one freaking phone call from Jay can take you from Satan's spawn to the happiest girl on earth." Peyton speaks up for the rest of them.

Brooke just rolls her eyes before heading to the coffee pot to refill her cup. "So I'm in love, sue me."

Before anyone could respond they hear a tiny whimper. "Daddy?"

Brooke's face lights up once more as she turns and walks around the counter and toward the couch where her son was waking up. "Hey buddy,"

"Mommy?" Ethan asks rubbing his eyes, and slightly confused. When he had gone to sleep, he was at the hotel with his dad, but he woke up at home with his mom. "Where daddy?"

This morning when Jay had woken up, he discovered the rain and knew Brooke would freak. So he headed to the beach, calling Nadia to come pick up a still sleeping Ethan. She took him home while Jay rushed to the beach to figure something out for later that day.

Brooke laughs, reaching down and scooping her son up in her arms before sitting down on the couch. She brings him to rest in her lap and brushes his light brown hair out of his eyes. "Daddy had to take care of something but you'll see him in a little bit, okay?"

Ethan seems satisfied enough with that answer, and jumps right up, and takes off running into his bedroom, effectively waking his twin sister up in the process. Brooke sighs, starting to push herself off the couch when she hears Elizabeth cry.

"Ah ah – I got it." Haley says jumping up from where she sat at the counter. "You need to start getting ready."

"She's right, you still have to shower and it'll take us a bit to do your hair," Peyton says, standing to join her.

"Okay, I'll get in the shower in a minute. I need to go get Bria up and make sure she's getting ready –"

"Allow me," Nadia says heading toward the stairs.

"She's a nightmare to wake up," Brooke argues, standing from where she sat. "And her hair –"

"Brooke, I know." Nadia says, smiling slightly. "I can handle waking her and making sure her hair is tamed. It won't be the first time. Hell, before you came along I was the only one who fixed her hair. Jay never could handle it." This causes Brooke to laugh. She could believe it, because she had seen it firsthand. Which was why she was in the process of teaching Bria to control her own hair? "You go and get ready. Don't worry, Haley and I will take care of the kids and make sure they're ready to go."

"She's right!" Haley yells from inside the twin's room, which was Peyton's old room. "Relax Brooke,"

"Ok okay fine." Brooke says holding her hands up in surrender, and heading toward the bathroom. "You guys are amazing."

"We know."

* * *

"So what the hell are you going to do man?" Adam asks walking up to his friend, who stood underneath the little owning just a few feet from where their wedding would be set up within just a few hours. Luckily their wedding planner had only set up the necessary stuff the night before for the rehearsal, and had packed it back up overnight since nobody would be around to watch it over night. They would be back in a few hours to set up.

Jay stuffs his phone into his pocket and sighs. He runs his hand over his face in frustration. "Dude, I have zero freaking idea. But I've got to figure something out quick."

* * *

"Oh Brooke, you are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen." Haley mutters, fighting the tears that she so badly wanted to cry, but wouldn't because there was no way she would live if she messed up her wedding make up. So instead, she just hugs her friend tightly.

"Gee thanks," Peyton mutters, half kidding, half serious.

Haley turns to her, before rolling her eyes. "Hey, I boosted your ego on your big day, it's her turn."

"Yeah, yeah." Peyton laughs, as well as Brooke.

"You guys look amazing as well." Brooke says standing up and taking in her two best friends. The two wore matching Tiffany blue flowy styled dresses, strapless of course. Brooke thought it was best for a beach wedding. Haley's dark long hair was curled and pinned to the side in a side pony tail, while Peyton's short hair was curled in her natural way. They both had dark smoky eyes.

Before either Haley or Peyton could respond, there was a knock on the bedroom door. It opens seconds later and Nadia steps in. She had taken it upon herself to get the kids ready while everyone else worried about themselves, since they were the ones in the wedding.

"We're done," Nadia smiles at Brooke before stepping back. Ethan and Elizabeth walk in, looking adorable. Ethan wore a little suit, which was identical to Jay's. Elizabeth wore a Tiffany blue dress as well, although it was more suited for a little girl. Her short brown curls were pinned back out of her face, since that was about all that they could manage at her length.

Brooke smiles at both of her babies, holding her arms out. They both run to her and she squeezes them each before kissing each of their cheeks. "You look perfect, my babies."

"Momma?"

Brooke glances up to the door, where Bria stood in her dress. She wore the same style and color dress as Peyton and Haley, sans for the fact that her dress had spaghetti straps – one thing Jay had asked when they went dress shopping months prior. Her curly brown hair was curled into perfect ringlets, the top layer pulled back into a pin. Nadia had also given her a soft and natural eye shadow – another request of Jay.

"Oh Bria," Brooke's smile grows as she stands up and makes her way over to her eldest daughter. She wraps her arms around "You look so beautiful."

"So do you," Bria says smiling up at her mother.

Blinking back tears that were threatening to fall, Brooke smiles and pulls her in for a hug. "God I love you kid,"

"I love you too, mom."

"Okay, I hate to break up the moment –" Nadia chimes in. "But I need to get Ethan back to Jay. "I'll see you guys there." She leans down and picks him up, resting him on her hip. She stops by Brooke in passing, allowing her to kiss her son's cheek.

"Bye handsome, I love you." She says running her hand down his cheek. He laughs as it tickles.

"Luh you," He mutters back, and then proceeds to wave bye to everyone in the room, earning a room full of laughter.

"He is his father's son – can charm just about anyone he meets."

"I'll agree to that," Peyton laughs turning to look at the clock. "Okay B Davis, we got to get you into that dress so we can get this show on the road!"

* * *

"Dude, I cannot believe you pulled this off." Adam says walking up to Jay. Jay stood underneath a giant tint, where in just a little over an hour and a half, he would be marrying the love of his life.

The tint was big enough that the alter, the aisle and all the guests chairs were underneath it. The rain had given up to a slight drizzle, but it was nowhere near the storm from that morning. According to the weather they had just enough time to do this wedding before it was to start up again. Luckily, months ago when Brooke started the planning, she had booked a venue just up the beach for the reception. Little did she know by booking an indoor venue, she had saved them yet another headache.

"Yeah me neither," Jay chuckles glancing around. "I did not think this would work."

This time, Adam laughs. "Neither did I. And I was seriously worried about your health there bud, because we both know had you not fixed it, Brooke would have killed you."

"Oh believe me, I know."

"Daddy!"

Jay turns around, his smile growing as he sees his son running down the aisle toward him. Jay squats down, holding his arms out just in time for Ethan to jump in his arms.

"There's my little man!" Jay exclaims pulling his son up in his arms as he stands up. He hugs him tightly before placing a sloppy kiss to the little boys cheek. Ethan squirms and giggles in his arms, and Jay offers a thankful smile to Nadia, who stood in the back. She had just gotten back from Brooke's with Ethan. "Goodness I missed you this morning E."

"You too, daddy." Ethan mutters tiredly snuggling his head into Jay's shoulder.

"Oh no you don't, buddy." Jay chuckles, shaking his son's arm. "If I let you fall asleep right now, your mother will kill me." Adam nods, laughing as well. "Okay bud, let's head up here so daddy can get ready. What do you say?"

Ethan just nods his head, quickly falling to sleep in his father's arms.

"God, she's going to kill you, you know."

"Shut up, Nadia." Jay says glaring at her, in passing.

* * *

"Where is he?!" Brooke shrieks, pacing back and forth. "He's late and he's going to miss the wedding!"

"Brooke," Haley says walking over to her best friend and placing a hand on each shoulder. She stops her pacing and turns her to face her. "He's on his way, I promise you. He will make it in time, and everything will be fine."

"I will not do this without him." Brooke says her voice full of conviction.

"I know," Haley smiles reassuringly. "And he does too. He'll make it Brooke, I promise."

"You're right, I'm sorry." Brooke says walking around the little room they were waiting in for the ceremony to start.

Before anyone could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Tiffany, Brooke's wedding planner, pops her head in. "Brooke? It's time to line up,"

Suddenly freaking out again, Brooke turns to face Haley. Her eyes were wide.

"No," Haley orders her, handing her the bouquet they had spent more than three hours on when they made it. "He's going to meet you out there. Relax. Enjoy this day Brooke; you've waited forever for it."

"You're right. In just a few minutes Jay will be my husband, and that's all that matters right now.." Brooke mutters more to herself than anyone else, and they all let her. It got her out the door the where they needed to be.

Elizabeth and Ethan stood closest to the starting point, as where they would walk out as the flower girl and ring bearer. Nadia stood nearby in order to guide them. Then was Bria, then Haley, and lastly Peyton as she was the maid of honor.

Elizabeth and Ethan were half way down the aisle, as they were instructed by Nadia, and Bria was standing in place to head out next when the planner gave her the okay. Haley was quickly fixing Bria's hair.

As they reach the end of the aisle, Nadia sits on the front row. She instructs Elizabeth to stand where Brooke and the girls would be, while Ethan stands next to his father and his uncle Adam.

Peyton was turned to Brooke, helping her fix a stray away curl, and her veil.

"Seriously Haley, it's time to go –" Brooke starts, trying but failing at her attempt not to panic.

"I'm here!" Jamie screams, running toward his mom and his aunt. "I'm here! I'm sorry, I'm late. But I'm here!"

"OH thank god." Brooke exclaims, reaching out and pulling her nephew into a huge hug. "I was so worried you weren't going to get here in time."

"I'm sorry. Mom told me to leave school last night so I would be here on time, but I had one last final to study for. I even left on time this morning," He leans in and plants a quick kiss to his mother's cheek before turning to Brooke. Brooke reaches up, fixing his crooked tie. "But I got stuck in traffic."

Jamie was currently away at Duke, following in his father's footsteps, of playing for the team. His grades and the game were important to him, but nothing was more important than being here for one of his favorite women on her big day.

"It's okay Jamie, I'm just glad you're here." She says lopping her arm through his. She watches as Haley reaches the end of the aisle and takes her place next to Bria. Peyton begins her trek down the aisle.

"You sure about this, Aunt Brooke?" Jamie asks, watching as Jay stood at the end of the aisle, his eyes shining. He glances from Ethan, to Adam, laughing about something. He looked happy.

Brooke's smile grows as she watches the same thing that Jamie had. She turns to her nephew. "Yeah bud, I'm sure."

"Okay then, let's do this." He says leaning over and kissing her cheek. Just then, the planner turns to them, instructing them it was time to go. The two make their way to the start of the aisle, as the wedding march begins to play.

Everyone stands to face them, and in that moment Brooke and Jay lock eyes. Neither can tear their eyes away from each other as Jamie leads her down the aisle, and to stand in front of him.

"Ladies and gentleman, we are gathered here today to witness as Jay and Brooke join together in Holy Matrimony." Jay and Brooke continue to stare at one another, their gazes never faltering. "Who gives this bride away today?" The minister asks, turning to face Jamie.

Jamie smiles, patting his aunt's hand. "I do," His smile grows as Jay steps down off the platform, to where they stood. He places Brooke's hand into Jay's. "Just remember Jay –"

"Oh I know, Jamie. You'll kill me the second I hurt her." He chuckles, thinking back to a measly 16 year old kid who had threatened him. He was now 20, going on 21 and far from that kid. Jay was proud to know him, and even more proud to know he had been looking after his girl for him, his entire life, and he knew without a doubt, he always would. The bond between Brooke and Jamie was unbreakable.

Jamie smirks, before leaning over to plant one more kiss on Brooke's cheek. She smiles in return before Jamie moves to take his seat next to Madison, who had come home from college with him, to attend the wedding - their own wouldn't be far off, if Jamie had anything to do with it. He had asked his father to come with him shopping for a ring, but they had yet to tell Haley.

"Brooke, Jay, join me." The minister says, and they do as told. They move to stand in front of him, turned facing each other.

Elizabeth stood next to her sister, doing her job in holding Brooke's flowers, while Ethan stood next to Adam. The younger two didn't quite understand the magic ness of this moment, but Bria stood back with tears in her eyes as she watched her dad marry the woman that she was so thankful for. Her mother.

"Jay, do you take Brooke to be your lawful wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health until death do you part?"

Jay glances from Brooke, over her shoulder to where Bria stood. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her lips quivered just slightly. He was overcome with emotion in that moment, seeing the pure happiness on his daughter's face. He was so glad that not only had he found the love of his life, but that his daughter had finally gotten the mother she deserved.

"I do,"

"Alright Brooke, do you take Jay to be your lawful wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do,"

And those two tiny words were all it took for Bria to lose it, and allow the tears to roll down her cheeks. She smiles, and continues to cry in pure happiness, as Haley reaches over and pulls her into her side. She leans her head over and rests it on Haley's shoulder, still watching her parents with all the love in the world.

Brooke would never know how much this, or how much she meant to her. Allie would always hold a special place in her heart, but Brooke was her mother.

Brooke was the mother she had longed for when she was a little girl, and the mother she had wished for so much. And now, her wish was her new reality.


End file.
